


Rarity

by sterlingcake



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Ushijima Wakatoshi, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Biting, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Marking, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Discrimination, Rutting, Scent Marking, Scenting, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, Washijo's a big old meanie, dropping, like he actually sucks and is super prejudiced, lowkey slowburn, omega drop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:00:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26554729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sterlingcake/pseuds/sterlingcake
Summary: When (Y/N)'s village gets attacked by a group of bandits, she doesn't hesitate to make a quick escape.Caught up in her panic, she doesn't realize how far out of her territory she's gone until it's too late. She's already passed the borders of the infamous Shiratorizawa pack.It doesn't take long for (Y/N) to be found, and when she is, she knows she's in deep trouble.After all, to be an unmated, rare type of Omega among a group of bloodthirsty Alphas and Betas could spell certain doom.
Relationships: Ushijima Wakatoshi/Reader
Comments: 63
Kudos: 317





	1. Chapter 1

_Don't let them find you. Don't let them find you. Don't let them find you._ You repeated this in your head over and over as you stumbled barefoot through the brush and overgrowth of the forest surrounding your village.

Panic and fear spurred a rush of adrenaline in your veins, allowing you to run faster than you ever had before. The overwhelming scent of smoke and coppery blood grew fainter with each stride you made.

You barely even noticed the hot tears than ran down your face, too preoccupied with your escape. _Don't turn around._ You told yourself, but it was too late; you had already angled your head to look behind you.

All you could see was smoke. All you could hear were screams. _FUCK_! You thought, nausea bubbling in your throat. You paused in your frantic running to lean into a tree and empty the contents of your stomach. After a few seconds of miserable hurling and sputtering, you wiped your mouth and spurred yourself into another sprint. You couldn't be caught by _them_. 

They were a group of bandits; but not just any bandits. They were the kind that made most of their money off of human trafficking. Particularly _omega_ trafficking. You were one of the few unmated omegas in your village.

You were one of the lucky ones; the only one who found a way to escape. One of the village elders, Chiyo, ensured your safety at the risk of her own life. You would remember her for this for the rest of your life. You, in particular, would have suffered a terrible fate if you had been caught.

You weren't just any regular omega, after all. You were one of the rarest kinds of all; a Prime. Many believed Primes were a myth, or that they were all extinct. But they certainly weren't; and you were living proof of that. 

Primes are descendants of the original omegas and alphas of the world; the ones who lived solely off of instinct alone, in a far less structured society. They've become more sophisticated over generations, however their much more potent instincts remained in the bloodlines. 

There weren't many Primes left, due to interbreeding with lesser omegas and alphas, however some still existed. You included. 

The only differences nowadays between you and a regular omega were your much stronger instincts, sense of smell, and the potency of your heats. Additionally, your omegan scent was far more potent than any other, and far sweeter; it had caused you many problems over the years. Alphas reacted to your scent far more than any regular omega, and sometimes their reaction could spell immediate danger for you.

That's why you didn't hesitate to escape from those bandits. You hated leaving your village for naught, but staying only would have caused them more problems. As you ran further, you hoped and prayed that they had found a way to fight back. 

But a small scratch at the back of your brain told you otherwise. _The smoke. The screams. The blood_. You refused to believe it, so you pushed the thought away and focused on running.

Your legs carried you for another hour, working solely off of adrenaline and fear. Your heartbeat hadn't slowed one bit since you first took off.

Your breaths came out in heavy pants as you began to slow down into a quick walk, the adrenaline in your blood wearing off. You wiped the sweat and tears from your face, walking deeper and deeper into the unknown forest.

 _Where am_ _I?_ You wondered, not recognizing the area at all. You hadn't even thought about where to go as you ran, you just... _Ran._ And now, you were completely and utterly _lost_.

The confusion of not knowing where you were mixed with the horrors of your village being attacked came at you full force. A sob tore through your throat as your legs carried you forward, gradually becoming more wobbly with each step.

Bile rose in your esophagus once more, and you didn't hesitate to hack up whatever was left in your stomach onto the ground beside you. _What do I do?_ You thought in panic, your face contorting with pain and grief. Waves of nausea came and went as you slowly made your way forward.

 _I have nobody. I have nowhere to go_. You realized. Your tears came faster, rolling into your open mouth as you let out an anguished cry. Your legs wobbled violently before giving into your weight. You didn't even flinch as you crashed into the ground.

You curled into the fetal position and cried, losing track of time. Your stomach squeezed with each sob. You cried and cried, unaware of a figure approaching from your left. Under normal circumstances you would have immediately sensed and smelled the Alpha approaching you, but the bile and tears clogged your senses. Your mind grew hazy with fatigue and your cries slowed into pained hiccups.

Your ears didn't pick up on the crunching of leaves as the man grew closer, nor did they hear him speak up. "What's this?~"

Your mind slowly faded in and out of consciousness, completely exhausted. The man crouched down at your side and peered down at you, taking in your wore down state.

He came rather quickly when he sensed someone break through their borders while he was on patrol, but he certainly didn't expect _this._ Nor did he expect to hear such terrible cries.

He frowned and leaned closer, sniffing you. His eyes snapped wide open as his nose was assaulted with a strong scent of vanilla and citrus, far more potent and alluring than any other scent he's smelled before. _An Omega?_ He wondered, tilting his head as he looked down at your now unconscious form.

He could tell something ghastly had happened to you, based off of your disheveled state and previous sobbing. He knew he certainly couldn't just leave you here, especially considering you had breached his pack's boundaries. His bright red hair flopped a little as he rubbed his chin in thought.

Would it be smart for him to bring an unmated Omega into the pack center? He certainly needed to bring you to his pack Alpha, that was for sure; you needed to be questioned. But he could be putting you in a tough position.

"Ah, it seems I don't have a choice in the matter anyways. Sorry little Omega-chan~" He spoke to your unconscious form, before scooping you up into his arms and making his way towards the pack center. 

He couldn't deny that he was excited to see how this would play out. After all, there were no unmated omegas in the Shiratorizawa pack. A devious smirk grew on the redhead's face as he peered down at your sleeping visage. _We'll see how this goes, Omega-chan_.


	2. Chapter 2

The redheaded man was rather quick to bring you back to the center of the Shiratorizawa territory. He was a little apprehensive about bringing you in considering your status, but he knew he didn't have a choice in the matter anyways. It was his duty to bring intruders to the pack Alpha, as his second in command. 

Tendou Satori was both excited and nervous as he looked down at your tear stained face. He wanted to see how your presence would affect the others, but at the same time, he wondered if it would put you in a tough situation. For an omega like you to be stuck among a pack with many unmated Alphas must surely be terrifying.

Your appearance and smell just _screamed_ Omega, after all. It wouldn't be strange for one or many of his packmates to take a liking to you. You had quite a pretty face, and held all the curves and softness an omega should. 

But something about your smell made Tendou extra-nervous. It made alarm bells ring in his head. If he had been unmated, he surely would have reacted _very_ differently to you. He had first been alerted to your presence by your smell alone, and he was nearly an entire mile away from you at that point. It was _potent. Intoxicating_. It reminded him of someone...

Tendou's brows furrowed as he looked back down at you. _There's no way... Right?_ He thought nervously. _Surely that's not possible._

Tendou sighed and pushed his worries away as he walked into the pack center, heading toward's the Alpha's estate at the edge of the mini-village. He wasn't surprised at all as his packmates began emerging from their homes, sniffing the air.

Once they caught sight of Tendou, they turned curiously to the little omega in his arms. There were mixed reactions amongst many of them.

Tendou's mate, an omega named Goshiki, furrowed his brows as he leaned down to sniff you. His face contorted with even more confusion as he looked up at Tendou. "Who... What...?" He wasn't even sure what to say about the strange, extra sweet smelling omega in his mate's arms. 

"Found her at the borders, poor thing was a mess. Not sure what happened to her." Tendou sighed. Goshiki nodded, keeping his concerns silent. Shirabu and Taichi both reacted similarly to Goshiki, considering they were already mated. Their reactions were far more mild than some of the others, however. 

Semi Eita, an unmated alpha, was instantly drawn to the sweet, exciting smell coming from the girl in Tendou's arms. His pupils blew wide as he looked over your soft, supple form. His gut tugged, and all he could think of was ripping you away from his redheaded packmate. He suppressed a growl in his throat and took multiple steps back, putting a hand over his nose. Your smell was doing something strange to his head, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. All he knew was that he needed to remove himself from the situation, or else. 

Reon Oohira and Yamagata Hayato reacted in the same way as Semi, instantly recognizing that you were an unmated omega. They backed away from you in the same fashion Semi had, holding hands over their noses.

"Oi, Tendou..." Semi spoke up, his voice deep and throaty. He gulped as his eyes flicked between your unconscious form and Tendou's concerned eyes.

Tendou seemed to understand that the three unmated alphas were having a hard time around you, which he couldn't blame them for. "I'll bring her to Ushijima. Goshiki, make sure they're ok." He gestured to the alphas, before walking away towards Ushijima's estate. He looked back down at you, his eyebrows furrowing once more. Just from their reactions alone he could tell you weren't just any regular omega. _Perhaps you really are a..._

Tendou gulped at the thought. Was it really a good idea to bring you to his pack Alpha? If Semi, Reon and Yamagata had behaved in such a way based off of your smell alone, being regular alphas, then how could anyone predict how Ushijima would react? Tendou sighed and stopped as he reached the estate doors. _Maybe I shouldn't..._

He jumped a little as you shifted in his arms and let out a small, distressed whine. Tendou's heart tugged at the desolate sound. He had made up his mind. He was going to let you rest first before having you meet his pack alpha; he didn't want to thrust you into such a distressing situation when you had clearly already been through a lot. _Surely Ushijima's reaction towards her would be amplified tenfold compared to Semi and the others, especially since.._. The redhead sighed.

Tendou turned away from the estate and made his way to his own home, which was right next door. His eyes met Goshiki's down the road, and he nodded to his house. Goshiki instantly seemed to understand, and explained it to the packmates around him before running over. The raven haired man got the door for Tendou and helped him inside, closing the door behind them. There was unspoken communication between the pair as they both headed towards their guest room. 

Tendou gently laid you down on the extra bed, grimacing as he took more notice of your worrisome condition. Beyond just the tear marks, you were covered in sweat, soot, dirt and scratches. Some of your clothing was ripped, and you were missing a pair of shoes. You had clearly come a long way, and certainly not for a good reason. The two men could only guess what had happened to you, but they knew it was something terrible.

They watched you stir, pitifully whining in the process. Goshiki and Tendou tensed at the sound; it was a clear omegan distress signal. Just what had happened to you to let out such noises in your sleep?

Goshiki instantly fled the room to fetch a damp cleaning towel, as well as a change of clothing. When he returned, his motherly instincts kicked into full gear. Tendou watched with appreciative eyes as his mate began cleaning you of all the dirt and blood as gently as he could. The redhead turned away as Goshiki put you into a fresh change of clothes.

Once the raven haired man was done, you began to stir again. You groaned and shifted into a sitting position, furrowing your eyebrows before opening your eyes. You blinked a few times as your vision adjusted. Your eyes felt a little puffy, reminding you of the events that had just occurred.

Alarm bells started ringing in your head as your vision focused on the unfamiliar room and bed you were in, as well as your new change of clothes. Your nose twitched as you instantly picked up on two strange scents to your left. Your eyes bulged as you looked over, taking notice of two large men standing a ways away from your bedside. You yipped in surprise and nervousness, backing up into the corner of the bed. The two seemed to smell your distress and confusion, and they waved their hands.

"Please don't be afraid! We won't hurt you!" The black haired one spoke up in a calming tone, and you instantly recognized him as an omega. You sniffed the air once more, realizing the redhead next to him was his alpha and mate. You seemed to calm down a little, especially once you smelled the omega's comforting pheromones. You relaxed a little in the bed, but still kept your distance. Your eyes shifted between the pair, your confusion mounting. Had you passed out somewhere? You must have, considering you were clearly among someone's pack grounds.

The redhead seemed to notice your confusion and spoke up. "I found you unconscious beyond our pack borders, so I brought you in. You were... Well, _are_ , in a bad condition. If it's not too much to ask... What happened?" He asked kindly, clearly trying to be comforting towards you. You could only imagine how you must have looked to him. Your eyes drifted to your lap, where your hands were clenched tightly. 

Realization of what had happened to your village and previous pack washed over you like a cold rainy day. A cold sweat broke out on your forehead as you suddenly found yourself immensely nauseous. The thought of what had happened to your friends, packmates, elders and family... It was horrifying. _And you ran_. You reminded yourself, feeling even sicker. You couldn't even help them. 

You didn't realize you had been crying until you tasted warm salt on your lips. You sniffled and clenched your fists harder. "I-I... My pack was a-attacked... It was b-bandits." You stuttered out in a weak voice. You could smell your own distressed, upset pheromones coming off of you in waves. You were sure the two men could pick up on your intense level of anguish.

The black haired one took in a sharp breath of air, clearly shocked. He approached the bedside slowly, releasing comforting pheromones towards you. You flinched a little when he sat down beside you and reached out a hand, but nonetheless allowed him to continue. You whimpered when he laid a hand on your shoulder, rubbing it in an attempt to calm you down. The redhead approached as well, but still kept a good distance as to not overwhelm you.

It was obvious that neither men knew exactly what to say to you; all they could offer was their sympathy and comfort. And though you didn't know who they were, you were appreciative. You slowly became more comfortable around the pair, finding yourself sobbing into the black haired man's shoulder as he rubbed your back.

You all stayed like this for who knows how long. When no more tears were able to leak out of your eyes, you sat up. Small whines slipped past your throat every now and then, but you had definitely calmed down a considerable amount. You tried to focus on the present moment, pushing your trauma and heartache to the back of your mind.

"W-where am I? Is this your p-pack?" You spoke quietly, looking up at the two with puffy eyes. They exchanged glances before nodding.

"I'm Goshiki, this is my mate Tendou. We're a part of the Shiratorizawa pack." Goshiki spoke softly, continuing to release his calming pheromones. However, they did nothing to stop you from immediately seizing at the pack name. 

The Shiratorizawa pack was notorious around this country for their large territory and ruthless leader; you had heard many scary stories about them. You gulped as you regarded the two mates in a new, frightening light. They seemed to pick up on your sudden tension, and their shoulders sank.

Your brows furrowed as you tried to process the new information. They were a part of such an infamous, dangerous pack, but they had been nothing but kind to you so far. From the stories you had heard, intruders would be killed on sight. _Was it all false?_ You wondered, biting your lip. If that were true, you wouldn't be here right now.

"My name's (Y/N) (L/N)." You managed to whisper out a reply, forcing yourself to relax. Goshiki and Tendou had clearly already gone above and beyond for you, so who were you to fear them just because they came from a certain pack? Upon realizing this, you let out a sigh of relief. You didn't sense any ill intent or strange smells from the pair at all. _What on earth were those rumors and stories all about? They seem harmless._ You thought curiously.

"I... I'm sorry to hear about your pack, (L/N). If there's anything we can do for you, please let us know." Tendou said, giving you a sympathetic glance. You managed a small smile towards the lanky man, nodding your head gently. You shifted a little in bed, whining at the soreness in your muscles and aching of your cuts and bruises. 

The silence in the room was suddenly cut after Goshiki seemed to give Tendou a strangely intense look. He had clearly told him something through his body language alone, which the latter seemed to understand. Tendou sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I've already put this off for too long... I'm very sorry about this (L/N)-chan, but I am going to have to bring you to our pack Alpha. He meets with any and all border crossers. If... If you're still not ready, I can find a way to stall even longer." He truly did seem apologetic about it, which you appreciated. But it did nothing to stop the stress that bubbled in your throat at the thought out meeting a _pack Alpha_.

Pack Alphas were the most intense kind of alphas you could meet. Pack Alphas were natural born leaders and the most intimidating out of any alpha out there, besides Prime Alphas of course. Having to meet with one, alone, in your condition... It was no surprise that you were scared. But you know you had an obligation to him; you had crossed his territory borders, after all. 

Closing your eyes and taking a deep breath, you nodded. "I... I can meet with him." You looked up at Tendou with a resolved but nervous look in your eyes.

Tendou gave you a curt nod, his gaze encouraging. "Alright. Then come with me, (L/N)-chan." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one kinda came outta left field sorry if it's not very well put together :(
> 
> I'm never sure if I should capitalize 'omega' and 'alpha' or not so lmk if the inconsistency bothers u
> 
> also don't hate me cause y/n doesn't meet ushiwaka in this chapter


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if any of the characters are a little OOC! Since the situation's a little more serious I'm not making Tendou very goofy at the moment, but once things lighten up he'll be his silly self again ;)
> 
> I tried to be as descriptive as possible but lowkey failed lol
> 
> Also please let me know if you guys don't like it when I try and shift the perspective from you to another character!

You were scared. Terrified, really. You had hoped you were hiding it well, but when Tendou and Goshiki gave you pitied looks, you knew you weren't. I mean, could anyone blame you? To meet a pack Alpha after invading their territory... You gulped.

Tendou was rather quiet as he helped you up and led you our the door, not missing the way his mate looked at him with a nervous expression. You were thankful for the silence, however, because you could hardly find the energy to speak anymore.

You shuffled quietly beside him as the redhead led you onto the stone riddled road, walking towards the large Elizabethan style home at the edge of the woods. Just the size of the Alpha's home alone told you how powerful his pack is; something which you already knew based off of the rumors you've heard about Shiratorizawa.

You found yourself wondering what their pack Alpha is like, considering how wrong you had already been about Shiratorizawa based on the kindness Goshiki and Tendou had shown you.

Halfway through your walk, Tendou interrupted your thoughts. He looked pensive for a moment, craning his neck down to meet your nervous gaze. He sighed in thought before finally speaking up, "Please don't be afraid of Ushijima, he... He may come off as brash, but he means well. He's not a man of many words." Tendou tried to reassure you, but in all honesty, he felt nervous as well. 

Tendou knew his friend and Alpha rather well; he was a stoic and serious man, who kept to himself quite a lot. However, he was the furthest thing from weak. It was obvious just from his stature and build alone, but Ushijima Wakatoshi was an alpha in every sense of the word.

His intimidating presence and firm rule over the Shiratorizawa pack just screamed _domineering_. He was the perfect leader; he didn't hesitate to take on the role as pack Alpha after his grandfather, Elder Washijo, stepped down.

And it was because of his extreme alphan tendencies and presence that made Tendou nervous about bringing you to him. He had only known you for a few hours so far, but he could easily tell that you weren't just a regular omega. In the same exact way that Ushijima is not a regular alpha. To put two beings of such opposite spectrums in a room together... It could be _dangerous_.

It's not like he had a choice, of course, he would simply have to wait and watch. An inkling of guilty curiosity wormed its way into his brain as he wondered how your meeting would unfold. He was a curious man at heart; he couldn't help the subtle excitement that thrummed in his veins at the thought of witnessing such a primal encounter.

Would either of you react at all? _Of course you would_ , he corrected himself. How could you _not_? The strong way in which Semi and the others reacted was very telling, and Tendou had no doubt you would have a similar, if not stronger, effect on Ushijima.

A small, cheeky smile pulled at the corners of Tendou's lips, but he immediately wiped it away as to not worry you. You hadn't even noticed, too nervous to focus on anything other than your thoughts.

You wrung your clammy hands together out of habit as Tendou hauled open the massive door to the estate, gesturing for you to go inside. You did and thanked him gently, trying not to let your voice waver.

Your eyes instantly took in the elegant interior of the Alpha's home, appreciating the architecture and design. It reminded you of the dark academia aesthetic you had heard so much about. You only had a moment to admire the home before Tendou gently laid a hand on your shoulder and nudged you in the direction of, what you assumed was, the Alpha's office.

Your nerves came back full swing, instantly making you forget about your pretty surroundings. You gulped as you got closer, your heart thrumming against your ribcage as if it wanted to escape. You tightened your sweaty hands into fists, feeling your nails dig crescents into your palms.

Ignoring the stinging sensation, you looked up at Tendou. You don't know why you did, really. Perhaps you saw him as a reassuring, almost fatherly figure now that you were stuck here. You wanted some sort of comfort, and he was the only one you could get it from. Tendou's nose twitched as he met your skittish gaze, instantly smelling your distress. His gaze softened into something more sympathetic, and he reached down to pat your head gently. He new from experience that many omegas needed a lot of comfort when nervous. It all came down to instincts.

"It'll be ok," he said. You bit down harshly on your lip and nodded, only feeling slightly better. You both paused in front of another large and intricately carved door.

It was time.

You kept your gaze on the hardwood floors as Tendou opened the door and stepped inside. "Sorry for the wait, Ushijima-san." Tendou spoke formally with his friend, knowing better than to tease him in this moment. You heard a deep hum in response, and your insides twisted with something you couldn't recognize.

You were hidden behind the lanky redhead's form as you followed him into the large office. You didn't know it was possible, but your heart seemed to beat even faster as your anxiety spiked. Once the door closed behind the two of you, you knew there was no escape.

You didn't sense it at first. Nor did you smell it. Your senses were clogged by your intense nerves. But the second Tendou stepped to the side and revealed your hidden, trembling form, it hit you like a tsunami washing over a helpless city. 

The first thing you noticed was the _smell_. Oh god, the smell.

It was overpowering your senses, fogging your brain and begging, no, **_SCREAMING_** for you to get on the ground and bear your neck. You were paralyzed, unable to move your widened gaze from the floor in front of you. A choked whine escaped your lips as the smell continued to bombard you. It reeked of bergamot, sandalwood and spice. 

Tendou didn't seem to notice either of your reactions at first, suspecting everything was going rather normally, until he heard your whine. Until he looked up at his friend and saw his eyes widen and his pupils dilate, expanding like a wolf catching sight of a lone rabbit in the woods. He watched with sickening curiosity as Ushijima suddenly stood from his seat, his eyes set on you in such an intense manner; Tendou had never seen a look like that on his friend's face before. 

You, on the other hand, were still frozen. Your thoughts ran at a mile a minute, invading your mind. Your instincts were nearly blocking out any coherent reasoning as you breathed in once more, smelling the overbearing and _dominant_ scent in the room.

**_ALPHA._ **

**_ALPHA._ **

**_ALPHA._ **

Your omega screamed at you to acknowledge the intense alpha that was before you. Your vision blurred slightly as you slowly raised your gaze from the hardwood, searching for the man that had pulled such an intense reaction from so deep within you.

You had never experienced such a need to _submit_ before. You felt like you were at the mercy of your instincts as your head tilted slightly, allowing your hair to slide off your shoulder and expose the skin of your neck.

Your behavior ripped a satisfied growl from the figure in front of you. Your omega keened at the sudden praise, urging you to submit yourself further. Your eyes shot up to meet the alpha's. You froze again, your mouth going dry. He was _huge_. At least 6'2, and absolutely packed with muscle. You hungrily took in his intense features, from his sharp jawline to his intense, dark olive green hair and eyes. Your omega approved of the sight before you.

He was an alpha in every sense of the word. 

You couldn't help it as another whine tore through your throat. You had no control over your body as your head tilted further to the side, exposing more skin. You felt yourself flush white hot, spurring sweat to form at the back of your neck. 

Ushijima had never lost control of his instincts before, especially not in such an intense, primal way like this. He certainly hadn't expected to react like this when Tendou said he was bringing in an intruder, a small omegan woman whom he had found crying at the borders. Under normal circumstances Ushijima would simply intimidate the intruder and scold them, allowing them to leave with just a warning. But this... He couldn't even help himself.

When you had stepped out from behind Tendou, he smelled you instantly. The intensely sweet smell of vanilla and lavender, coaxing him out of his seat. His throat constricted as his sharp gaze fell on your form, trembling and frozen like a deer in headlights as you refused to meet his gaze. His canines nearly dropped at the sight. He unconsciously observed your form; your smooth skin, the curves hidden beneath Goshiki's baggy clothes, your demure expression... 

There seemed to be an odd, mutual understanding between the two of you. Your instincts were both kicking into high gear, pushing your omega to the forefront of your mind. Somewhere in the depths of your brain, you understood why you were reacting in such a strong way to this man. You knew what he was. He was just like you. A descendant of one of the originals. A Prime Alpha. 

You hardly had time to dwell on the thought as you watched the man, Ushijima, take a wide step forwards. You yipped and jumped backwards, surprised by his approach. You couldn't discern your own thoughts amongst the intense feelings of your inner omega. Your senses were overrided. You couldn't tell whether you wanted him to come closer or stay as far away as possible.

_**STAY. ALPHA WANTS YOU TO STAY.** _

Your trembling grew worse as his eyes narrowed, not seeming to enjoy the way you backed away from him. A low, throaty growl came from deep within him, causing your entire body to seize up. His intense gaze made goosebumps rise on your skin. 

Warning bells rang in your head, hitting you like a cold bucket of water. You were able to come to your senses slightly, and you realized in that moment that you needed to _LEAVE_. 

Your wide, tense gaze flitted to Tendou, as if begging for his help. You managed to push words out of your tightening throat. "I need to l-leave." Your voice was quiet and shaky. Tendou's curious gaze seemed to soften and he nodded. As much as he wanted to see how this would continue, he knew it was risky to keep you here. He reached down to put a hand on your shoulder, but froze as Ushijima let out a deafening snarl. Your hairs stood on end from the sound.

Tendou's crimson eyes widened at the wordless message: **_DON'T TOUCH. MINE._**

He withdrew his hand obediently, unable to defy his pack Alpha's silent orders. Since guiding you out wasn't an option, Tendou attempted to reason with the olive haired, angry alpha in front of him. 

He held out his hands in a 'I surrender' manner and turned to look at the furious olive haired man. It was obvious that Ushijima wasn't entirely conscious; his alpha had taken complete control. The darkness and dominance in his gaze made it clear that he was very upset by Tendou's attempt to touch the little omega.

Tendou's observant gaze didn't miss the way Ushijima's shoulders straightened and his chest puffed out, making himself appear bigger. He bared his large canines at the redhead. Tendou raised a brow, almost amused by his behavior. Was Ushijima really _posturing_ with him right now? Even though he's already mated? It was unnecessary, but clearly Ushijima's alpha still felt threatened by him.

"Now now Ushijima-kun, let's take this down a notch. You aren't in the right state of mind, you're scaring little (Y/N)-chan." The redhead waved his hands, hoping to get through to the alpha. His words seemed to mean nothing, however, because Ushijima's pupils suddenly blew even wider. His gaze moved from Tendou to you once more.

"(Y/N)." He rumbled, as if satisfied with the way your name sounded on his tongue. You couldn't help the shiver you got once you heard him say it. You resisted letting out another whine, pushing your omega to the back of your brain once more. You needed to get back in control, or else this could end _very_ badly.

 _But would it be so bad?_ Your omega questioned you. _Perfect alpha._ She hummed. You bit your cheek once more, gulping. You couldn't say she was wrong, he was... Ideal. But you couldn't let your instincts control you like you were some animal. You needed to take the reins once more. Thankfully, your omega obliged and retreated to the depths of your mind, allowing your senses to clear. You needed to find a way to calm down Ushijima now.

You blinked up at the large man, feeling small under his intense gaze. You weren't sure exactly how to calm an alpha down, and clearly Tendou wouldn't be able to offer much help, so you were going to have to wing it.

You gulped and took another step back, hoping distance would help clear his head. This was clearly a mistake, however, because he growled lowly and took another step towards you. Your eyes widened and you waved your hands frantically. "Wait!" 

Your voice made him halt, his pupils contracting slightly. You let out a breath of relief; he was going to listen! 

"Like Tendou said, neither of us are in the right state of mind. I'm going to need you to calm down too." You said gently, attempting to release calming pheromones. Your attempts seemed to work, as you watched his muscles relax slightly. His eyebrows furrowed and his nose twitched, allowing your calming scent to wash over him.

"Can we get some distance between us? It will help." You spoke again, slowly taking another step back. You watched his lips pull back to show his displeasure, but he thankfully didn't growl or come towards you again. 

You nodded in satisfaction. "See? That wasn't so bad. Can you take some deep breaths for me?" You asked, tilting your head back to have your hair cover any exposed skin on your neck. The olive haired man obeyed, slowing down his heavy breathing to something more calm. His brows twitched and his pupils shrank further, and you hoped those were good signs.

Tendou watched in fascination from the sidelines. For you, a tiny little omega and an intruder nonetheless, to be bossing around his pack Alpha like this... It was _unheard of_. But yet here you were, giving Ushijima Wakatoshi orders. And he was even following them! Tendou had to hold back a laugh. He had never seen the stoic man act so obedient around _anybody_. Perhaps bringing you here was the best thing that Tendou could have ever done. 

Tendou was sure that you would be the most interesting thing he's ever brought past the Shiratorizawa borders. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I know I keep describing their alpha's and omega's as if they're separate entities in their heads, which I guess they are? Lmk if you guys don't like how I refer to them separately


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoy! I get kinda carried away with the primal behavior and stuff but its just too fun to write and I feel like it creates great tension <3

You found that you had to be very _very_ careful around Ushijima Wakatoshi.

At first things had gone well, and you had managed to calm him down a lot, but it eventually became very clear to you that his Alpha was still in control; he was not in his right mind.

That much was obvious when Ushijima finally quieted and you tried to slip out the door, grappling onto Tendou's arm and attempting to pull him out with you.

Big mistake.

It happened way faster than you could comprehend, but all of the sudden, Tendou was pushed to the ground and a strong arm wrapped around your waist. Within seconds you were flipped around and pulled into a warm, broad chest. You squeaked from the sudden movement. 

You gulped as Ushijima snarled once more, his chest vibrating against your cheek. Your face bloomed bright red as his arm around your waist tightened. You were pushed further into his hard chest, forced to feel the tautness of his muscles. You could feel his olive eyes boring into the top of your head.

You were just barely able to move your head to glance up at the olive haired man. Your heart stuttered as you took in his impressive height, but you were quick to push away any unwanted thoughts.

You looked up into his aggravated face, taking in the way his brows were scrunched and his lips were pulled up, clearly in a territorial manner. The way his pupils were completely blown out again told you his logical self was not present. The man you were trapped against was thinking with the brain of a beast.

You felt your own omega pushing for control, but you managed to resist. If you gave in, this situation would only become worse. For all you knew, he could mark you right then and there. You wouldn't let that happen.

"P-please, Ushijima-san, let me go." You tried to get through to him, hesitantly placing your hands on his chest and pushing against him. He instantly thwarted your efforts, growling shortly and pulling you back into him. You wheezed slightly as your breath was knocked out of you. 

"Let me go." You try to be more authoritative with your words, furrowing your brows up at him to try and show your displeasure. His strong gaze and grip faltered for a moment, and you took that opportunity to slip out of his grasp. He didn't growl this time as you stepped away from him, he just chose to watch you intently. You sighed in relief.

"I'm going to need you to calm down, you're not thinking logically." You spoke again, watching as his face scrunched up with displeasure and confusion. You continued. "I need you to come back to reality, ok?" You released a wave of calming pheromones. Ushijima's pupils constricted and his jaw became less tense; all of which were good signs.

"I'm gong to help Tendou up now." You stepped back towards the redhead, whom had stayed completely still throughout all of this. Ushijima's head jerked slightly, indicating a nod. _Good_. He's coming back to his senses. You diverted your eyes from the Alpha and extended a hand towards Tendou, who took it gratefully. You helped him up without so much as a sound. 

The redhead peered down at you with a mix of curiosity and confusion. He had never seen his pack Alpha act in such a way, especially towards an Omega. In fact, Tendou doesn't think he's _ever_ seen Ushijima react to an Omega before. But the way he reacted to you was... Intense. Not to mention he had followed your orders. _You_. A tiny little Omega who had seemed so demure and nervous before, ordering around _Ushijima Wakatoshi_. Tendou wanted to laugh, but he held it back.

He watched as you turned back towards the olive haired man. He didn't miss the way you wrung your hands out of nervousness; he couldn't blame you. It must take a lot to stand up to your instincts like this. 

You looked up at Ushijima curiously, watching as he winced and put his palm up to his forehead. He seemed to be in mild pain, and it became glaringly obvious to you that he was making an effort to take back control of his mind from his Alpha. All you and Tendou could do at this point was wait and watch.

Ushijima squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and exhaled heavily, rubbing his forehead. Seconds later, he withdrew his hand and relaxed his muscles, opening his eyes. 

You sighed in relief as you realized he must have regained control. His eyes, now much less intense, appeared to be less hazy. From your peripheral vision, you saw Tendou take a hesitant step forward. Ushijima's eyes snapped over to his redheaded friend, but there was no hostility or tension in his gaze now. You didn't miss the little grimace he gave Tendou, and from what you could tell, it was out of guilt. 

"Ushiwaka-kun, back to your senses I see?" Tendou teased his friend, his lips tilting up into a cat-like smile. Ushijima gave Tendou a curt nod.

"My apologies." His voice was much less throaty and demanding than before. You soon noticed that his scent had receded as well, much less overpowering than it was before. _Thank god_. You weren't sure how much more of that intense smell you could have handled before you would crumble.

Tendou placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, leaning down to you height. "Little Omega-chan did such a good job with you! I must say, I wasn't expecting such a reaction from you, Ushiwaka-kun~" Tendou continued to tease. You pursed your lips at his comment and failed to fight off the bright red blush that stained your cheeks. Tendou's smile widened.

It was then that Ushijima finally looked back at you. You watched his cheeks turn slightly pink, and his gaze turned apologetic. You jumped a little as he suddenly bowed his head to you. "My deepest apologies, I... I'm not sure what came over me." His deep voice rumbled with a hint of guilt. You blinked in surprise. You certainly hadn't expected your meeting with the Shiratorizawa pack Alpha to end with _him_ apologizing first. 

Tendou chuckled slightly from beside you as you waved your hands frantically, your blush growing deeper. "P-Please, it's not your fault! I acted rashly as well. I think it's safe to say we both weren't thinking right." You moved to scratch the back of your head awkwardly. Ushijima rose from his slight bow, nodding at your response. His face was strangely stoic compared to the sharp reactions he was showing before, though you supposed this was how he normally was based off of how Tendou described him.

Silence permeated in the air for a moment, as all three of you were unsure what to say next. You knew there was still a discussion to be had about your appearance in their territory, so you gulped down your nerves and was the first to brave the subject.

"A-About my passing of your borders... I'm very sorry about all of that. I had no intention to do so, but I wasn't thinking straight... I..." You faltered, remembering the reason you were here in the first place. A chill ran through your veins. 

All the events that had happened in the last day had been so distracting, you hardly had time to reflect on your situation. On your village. Your pack. They were _gone_. 

You choked on your next words, your lip trembling. You couldn't stop the hot tears that pricked at the corners of your eyes.

You hardly noticed as Tendou's teasing smile fell, and the hand on your shoulder squeezed gently out of reassurance. You didn't notice as Ushijima's stoic face twisted into something akin to concern and pain, as if he could feel your own despair. 

Hot tears began streaming down your cheeks, spilling past your lips as you grimaced. Your shoulders racked with painful sobs, filling the silence of the room. You brought a hand up to your face to hide yourself, feeling ashamed of being so vulnerable in front of two men you hardly knew. You knew you had to explain yourself to Ushijima eventually, but you couldn't bring yourself to form words at the moment.

You felt another hand, warm and large, grip your opposite shoulder and rub gently. You couldn't see through your tear blurred vision, but you knew it was Ushijima. You sniffed a little, smelling the calming pheromones Ushijima was attempting to release. Somehow his scent worked wonders, allowing your sobs to lessen and your vision to clear. You relaxed into the two men's grips, allowing yourself to take deep breaths to calm down.

You rubbed the sleeve of Goshiki's hoodie against your eyes, wiping away your tears. You'd have to apologize to the kind Omega later for ruining his clothes. You hiccuped as you looked back up at Ushijima, your heart constricting when you saw the concern consuming his face. You wondered why he was so concerned about you, a stranger, and an intruder nonetheless. But you barely had time to dwell on that as you realized you needed to explain yourself.

You averted your eyes, looking to your feet which were dwarfed by the taller Omega's sweatpants. You shuffled a little bit, mulling over what exactly to say, before you just decided to be blunt about it. It was a harsh reality, after all. Tendou gave you another reassuring squeeze, already knowing what you were going to say.

"My pack village was attacked by bandits. I... I was the only one who was able to escape. T-They sacrificed themselves to let me escape." Your voice was hushed and shaky as you turned your head away from the two men, not wanting them to see your dismal expression. Ushijima's hand fell from your shoulder in surprise.

You could sense the waves of sympathy and comfort coming off of the large Alpha, in an attempt to calm you down. Ushijima felt a strong urge to take you into his arms and hold you close, but he held himself back. This was not the time for him to lose control again, he realized. So instead, he resorted to using some of his pheromones to sooth you. It was all he could do at this point, really.

Tendou rubbed your back gently as you hiccuped, unable to speak more on the matter. The two Alphas understood enough about your situation, so they wouldn't dare push you further. 

The silence in the room didn't last too much longer once you decided to break it. There had been something on your mind in the past 24 hours that you couldn't stop thinking about, and now that you were here, you knew it was the perfect time to ask. You wiped your eyes once more and looked up at Ushijima, who watched you with a careful and sorrowful expression.

You felt almost ashamed to even ask this. "S-Since I'm not a part of your pack, am I... Going to have to leave?" You gulped at the thought. Being forced to leave this place alone and wander the woods for who knows how long would mean certain death for you.

Ushijima's brows shot up in surprise, before they furrowed. He looked almost _angry_ at your suggestion. You jumped a little as a short rumble left his chest, clearly showing his dissatisfaction at your assumption.

"You will stay here and join my pack." His voice was deep and throaty, as if he were holding himself back from using his Alpha voice to give you a command. Your eyes widened at his statement and your mouth gaped. 

"A-Are you sure? I don't want to impose-" You were cut off by another deep rumble. 

"I've already decided." Ushijima looked down at you with furrowed brows. You expected him to look frustrated based off of the tone of his voice, but you could see a gentle glimmer in his eyes.

He wanted you to stay. To be a part of your pack. You couldn't help but feel pride swell in your chest. Your Omega preened in the corner of your mind, satisfied that Ushijima wanted you near him.

But in your rational mind, you felt the alarm bells ticking. How on earth were you going to survive living with this pack, especially Ushijima, considering what just happened? You knew one thing. This situation spelled _danger_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLS HELP  
> So i wanna also write a mafia fic and I don't know who to write it about!!! Pleasseee help  
> Should it be about:
> 
> Tendou  
> Kuroo  
> Oikawa  
> Osamu/Atsumu  
>  and I know Ushijima would make such a good mafia boi but I feel bad making another fic about him  
> (or any others you guys wanna see me write!!)
> 
> Pls lemme knowwww :)


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the day had gone by rather quickly. You found yourself sitting alone at the nearby riverbank at twilight, lost in thought. After meeting with Ushijima, and listening to his demand for you to stay here, you had gone back with Tendou to his home to rest. Goshiki had been quick to comfort you once he saw even an inkling of lingering distress in your eyes, which you had been grateful for. You appreciated the attentiveness of the young Omega.

Eventually, you had asked for permission to leave and take a walk. The couple were hesitant to let you go out alone, but once you assured them you'd only be going to the riverbank behind their home, they agreed. And so here you were, standing with your feet dipped into the cold water, thinking. You had been out here for nearly an hour, reflecting on the recent events. 

You weren't sure how to feel about staying with the Shiratorizawa pack. You were beyond grateful for their kindness, of course, but it felt strange. The things you had heard about this pack before you arrived were... Frightening, to say the least. But so far, they hadn't met any of your dark expectations in the slightest. In fact, they seemed to be the exact opposite of what your village peers had told you.

From what you knew previously, they were the largest pack in the entire region. They controlled a massive amount of land, and you had heard that they were extremely territorial and powerful because of this.

You knew that much was true, so far. From what Tendou and Goshiki had told you, the area that you were currently in was reserved for the most powerful members of the pack. The Pack Council, as Tendou had called it. Tendou was Ushijima's second in command, Semi Eita the third, and so on. Anybody you encountered in this area were essentially leading members of the Shiratorizawa pack, falling directly after Ushijima. The rest of the pack (hundreds of people, apparently) resided in groups of villages scattered throughout their territory. A pack of this size had seemed unheard of until today.

You sighed and pushed your feet further into the icy water, watching as the streams parted and swerved around you. The fading sunset cast a slight purplish glow on the water, illuminating it.

It was undeniable that the land Shiratorizawa resided on was beautiful. Spring-like and full of vegetation and water reserves, their land was bountiful. A far cry from the sparse fields you came from. Being here felt like a breath of fresh air.

You sat in the soft grass and pulled your knees to your chest, removing your feet from the cool water. The trickling of the river soothed your frayed nerves as you wondered about your stay here. Their kindness had been unparalleled to anything you had ever experienced in your life. What sort of pack allows a trespasser to stay in their home and eat their food, all while they had nothing to give in return?

You felt guilty. You didn't have much to offer the pack besides your weaving and cooking skills, but perhaps that would be enough. In your old village, all omegas (the few that were even there) would help the pack with simple tasks such as cooking and sewing. However, most of your time was spent as the pack doctor's assistant. You were quite good with herbs and medicinal studies, so you would often tend to any injuries and illnesses in the pack alongside the elderly doctor, Akihiro. Your heart sank as you remembered the kind old man you had spent so many years working with. You hoped he hadn't suffered to much at the bandit's hands.

Perhaps you'd mention it to Goshiki later today. You truly had no knowledge about Shiratorizawa at all, seeing as everything you had learned about them seemed to be false. You didn't even know if the pack cooked and ate together as yours had. Did they have maids in Ushijima's manor? It seemed impossibly big for him to simply live there alone. 

You were so lost in thought that you didn't even realize the sun had gone down long ago. You didn't even register the footsteps and somewhat unfamiliar scent approaching you. 

"Excuse me?" A deep voice spoke from behind you. Your eyes bulged and you yelped, whipping around to face the stranger who had unknowingly snuck up on you. Said man had a guilty but amused look on his face as he raised his hands.

"Sorry about that! I just came to let you know that dinner is ready." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, keeping his distance from you. You blinked at him in surprise, finding one of your questions suddenly answered. It appears as if the Pack Council eats dinner together, considering it wasn't Goshiki or Tendou who had approached you.

You nodded and stood, observing the stranger. He had spiky ash blonde hair and warm brown eyes, and a lean but strong stature. From his musky pine scent, you could tell he was another alpha. The second you took a step closer to him, his eyes grew nervous and his nose twitched. He inhaled sharply but remained still, seeming to try and get used to your scent.

This was something you had been accustomed to over the years; your scent was extremely potent compared to other omegas. Many alphas often react strongly to you at first, until they get used to your smell. None have ever reacted the way Ushijima did, but you knew that was a... Special case. 

You stood still and allowed the ash blonde man to get used to your smell. You only took another step forward once his posture and eyes relaxed. "I'm Semi Eita." His tone was less strained. You smiled at him and nodded. "(Y/N) (L/N)." You responded, earning a smile from the man.

He began walking, gesturing for you to follow. He quietly led you towards Ushijima's large manor. At the sight of it, you tensed slightly. Clearly, pack dinners were held in the Alpha's house. You weren't exactly sure how this was going to play out. You twiddled your fingers nervously as Semi led you inside, giving you a reassuring look. His attempt at reassurance made you realize that he must have been filled in on what happened earlier today.

You smiled weakly back at him as you both walked down the large, intricate hallway towards a room filled with loud chatter. Once the two of you stepped into the massive dining room, the chatter stopped. 

An embarrassed blush rose on your cheeks as you suddenly realized that all eyes in the room were on you. You noticed some of the larger men in the room lean forward in their seats and sniff the air, seemingly just as surprised by your scent as Semi had been. Many of them were tense, their eyes locked onto your form in an intense manner. You were quick to notice that Ushijima was not present, based off of the large empty seat at the head of the table. 

You shuffled uncomfortably under the stares of the alphas in the room. Semi cleared his throat and stood close behind you, trying to remind the others that they were making you uncomfortable. Immediately they bowed their heads away from you apologetically. It was clear to you that they hadn't ever been around many unmated omegas, especially one of your kind. All of the omegas in the room were already mated.

You bit your lip and nodded to everyone in the room, bowing your head slightly out of respect. "Thank you for allowing me to stay with you. My name's (Y/N) (L/N), it's nice to meet you all." You spoke gently. The ones you hadn't met already nodded back at you as a greeting before turning away.

Once the attention was off of you, chatter slowly picked back up in the room. Semi nudged you gently in the direction of two empty seats near Tendou and Goshiki. You followed his lead and sat down, smiling at the redhead and his mate who were across the table from you and Semi.

"Enjoy your little rendezvous, (L/N)-chan~?" Tendou lilted, smiling at you. You nodded in response. "The land here is beautiful, Tendou-san." 

Tendou hummed in agreement. You turned to Goshiki curiously. "Goshiki-san, if... Since I'll be staying here for awhile, I was wondering if there are any tasks or chores I can help you with? Back in my old pack I used to help with the cooking, weaving and medicine. I was our doctor's assistant. If there's ever anything you need from me, I'd be more than happy to assist. You've all already done so much for me, I want to be able to give back." 

Goshiki smiled softly at your offer. "I only help cook on occasion, since we have locals who do most of that sort of work. They come to the Council lands to bring us food each night. I'm glad to hear you have medical skills, though. Our pack doctor, Shirabu, would love to have some help. These guys get injured pretty often on their hunts." The black haired omega smiled, putting a hand on his mate's shoulders. Tendou chuckled and nodded in agreement, pointing to some of the scars littering his arms.

You grinned at the offer. "I'd love to help in any way I can!" You felt hopeful; perhaps this would make you feel more connected with the others. You felt so out of place here, with no sense of belonging. Since it was obvious that you would be staying here for an extended period of time, you wanted to ease your feeling of disconnectedness. It would be good for you to act as a helping hand here, it would bring you closer to everyone.

You were caught up in animated chatter with Goshiki, hardly noticing that the food was being placed on the table by unfamiliar locals. They left as quick as they came, and everyone immediately began digging in. You helped yourself to a decent serving, your stomach growling hungrily. Your mouth watered as you began eating. 

A sense of comfort washed over you as you engaged with Semi, Tendou and Goshiki in small talk. Your belly was full, your skin was warm, and you felt safe. Sheltered. You felt at home. You knew this was a good sign; perhaps Shiratorizawa would become _home_ in good time.

Your curiosity spiked for a moment as you wondered where exactly you would be staying while you were here. Surely you couldn't stay with Tendou and Goshiki for too long, they were mates after all; they needed their privacy. 

"Tendou-san, Goshiki-san, do you perhaps know where I'll be staying while I'm here? Will I be staying in one of the nearby settlements?" You asked. It felt strange for you to be staying in the Pack Council's land as an intruder. Surely they understood where you were coming from.

Goshiki's and Tendou's brows rose, almost as if they weren't expecting the question. They didn't seem as if they had put any thought into it. They were about to answer you, when suddenly both of their eyes shot up to something behind you.

You tensed as you felt an intense gaze fall upon your back. Everyone in the room seemed to freeze at the sudden presence. You barely registered the bowing heads in your peripheral, too caught up in the powerful eyes burning a hole through your head. Based off of the scent of bergamot and sandalwood, you instantly knew who it was. You gulped as you sensed him approach, standing closer to the back of your chair.

"You will stay here." He rumbled stoically, answering the previous question you had asked. However, his answer did nothing to satisfy you. _Here_? You wondered. Here as in with Goshiki and Tendou? Here as in with the Pack Council? You were unsure. 

Your brows furrowed as you turned in your seat to face the overpowering presence of the Pack Alpha. Ushijima stared down at you with stern olive eyes, sizing you up in a way you couldn't interpret.

"...Here?" Your voice was soft and confused as you peered up at the tall man. Ushijima nodded, answering you as if there was nobody else in the room. "Here. There are extra rooms." His reply was blunt and shocking. Your brows shot up and your jaw nearly dropped. You could barely hear Tendou as he giggled from behind you.

Your mouth moved like that of a fish, unsure of what to say next. He wanted you to stay _with him_?! In his own home? Alone? You gulped. After what had happened today, you knew that was a _terrible_ idea. Was he kidding? But his serious, stoic expression told you that it was no joke. He was fully intent on keeping you here in the same manor as him.

"Shouldn't I... Not stay here? I'm not a part of the Council, after all. I only-" You tried to argue, but Ushijima left you no room. His eyes narrowed down at you in warning, making your jaw clamp closed. He didn't seem to like being questioned, especially in front of his pack. 

"You'll stay here." His word was final as he turned away and took his seat at the head of the table. You were tense with shock as you turned back to face your food, shivering slightly. The rational part of you was irritated for being ordered around like that, but the instinctual half of you felt... Satisfied. Pleased that the Alpha wanted you near him. Pleased that he had made this decision for you. You gulped and pushed your thoughts away, returning to eating your food. 

The stunned silence at the table slowly faded away once you started eating again. You felt the 3 men sitting with you give you concerned glances, but you weren't intent on acknowledging them right now. You ate in silence, only joining in on some of the remaining conversation with the two alphas and omega.

Eventually conversation and food fizzled out, until pack members began leaving the table one by one to go back home. Tendou and Goshiki eventually excused themselves, though they didn't leave without giving you reassuring pats on the back. Tendou was sure to tell you to come to him if you needed anything, which you were grateful for. Semi eventually left as well, leaving you alone at the table. 

It wasn't long before it was just you and a silent Ushijima left in the room. You fiddled with your fingers awkwardly as you stood up. You hesitantly looked up towards the olive haired Alpha, chewing on your lip. "So, um... Where exactly am I going t-to..." You stuttered quietly, your cheeks filling with heat. Ushijima rumbled and stood, towering over your small frame. But, for some reason, you didn't feel intimidated or scared this time around. You felt... Safe.

His scent wrapped around you in a comforting manner, allowing you to stop fidgeting and look at the Alpha confidently. He stared down at you with a gleam in his eye, before waving a hand. "Come." 

You were quiet and observant of your surroundings as Ushijima led you down the hall towards a grand staircase covered in red velvet. The moonlight shone through the impressive windows, casting a gentle light around the two of you as you ascended. The architecture was intricate and antique, reminding you of an English Tutor. The upstairs hallway was lined with dark wood, chandeliers and expensive carpeting. You felt out of place here; this home felt too expensive and high class for someone such as yourself to stay in.

He led you down the hallways past many different doors, many of which were closed. You couldn't help but peer curiously into the open ones, noticing a massive library and music room along the way. Ushijima suddenly stopped, and you quickly caught yourself before you barreled straight into his broad back.

He turned the knob to a door not too far from the end of the hallway, which held two massive intricately carved double doors; you assumed his room must be there. Ushijima gestured for you to go inside the new room, which you did hesitantly. He followed you inside and flicked on the light. 

Your jaw dropped once the lights flickered on. First of all, the bedroom was bigger than anything you had ever seen. Bigger than your living room and kitchen combined had been back in your old village. In the middle of the room against the wall was a large four poster bed with incredibly soft and expensive looking bedding. In the corner there was a massive looking wardrobe sat next to a beautiful fireplace. Gorgeous red velvet curtains hung from the huge windows lining the walls, inviting the moonlight inside. There was also a desk and bookshelf off to the other side of the room, filled with ancient looking texts.

You blinked in shock; you had never seen something so elegant in your life. You turned to Ushijima, noticing that he had been staring at you with something akin to a smirk on his face. His eyes glinted in to moonlight as he took in your small, almost excited form. 

"This is... Are you sure? I can't possibly stay in a room like this." You were shocked by the mere idea of being offered something so extravagant. But by the glittering of your eyes, Ushijima could tell that the offer excited you.

"Yes. You will stay here." His deep voice rumbled once more, sending a shiver down your spine. Your Omega keened in your head, satisfied by the Alpha's gift to you. You pushed it back, not liking the idea of this being a 'gift'. If your Omega was thinking like this, then it was thinking as if it were being _courted_. And that definitely could _not_ happen. You couldn't possibly...

You sighed, forcing such thoughts out of your head. It felt ridiculous to even allow yourself to think in such a way again. You turned back to look at Ushijima, a grateful gleam in your eyes. "Thank you, then." You bowed your head slightly. Ushijima rumbled in reply.

He suddenly turned back around and walked towards the door, before pausing in the doorway. He turned his head back towards you, his gaze intense. "Goodnight, (L/N)." You gulped as his deep voice made you shiver. You couldn't help but blush and stutter our a quiet, "G-Goodnight," in reply. 

When Ushijima closed the door and you heard his footsteps walk away towards his own room, you let out a shaky breath and collapsed on the massive king bed. _How on earth did this even happen?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I'm thinking of changing it so that the whole pack council lives in the manor with Ushijima, since it will make a lot of the later details easier to write. I might edit it as to give them their own wings of the house or something. What do you guys think?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Graphic and gorey nightmare described ahead
> 
> This one's a lil short and out of left field but I wanted some ~spice~
> 
> I think I'm just gonna keep the living arrangements as is I don't feel like editing everything ahaha. Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Sleep hadn't come easy that night. But when it did, you wished you had never even tried.

You were freefalling, surrounded by darkness. As much as you tried to scream, not a sound came out. You were in a void, only able to feel the sensation of your stomach dropping and your heart squeezing as you fell down amongst the darkness. 

Your pulse was racing. You felt cold and scared, wanting nothing more than this nightmare to end.

There was no escape.

Tears sprung from your eyes as you continued to freefall with no end in sight. Until suddenly, you felt yourself plunge into a warm body of liquid. You quickly swam up and gasped, looking around. The liquid felt too thick to be water.

 _Red_.

Everything was red.

Bile rose in your throat. Blood. All of it. You were swimming in it; drowning. A scream finally bubbled from your throat as you swam towards the coast, climbing desperately out of the liquid and clawing your hands into the dirt. You were sobbing as you managed to pull yourself out.

Your hand fell onto something squishy and cold. You gulped and reluctantly looked at what you were holding onto.

Your eyes bulged. In front of you, piled into heaps, were bodies. Dozens of them. People you knew and loved. Grandma Chiyo. Doctor Akihiro. Everybody. Your pack.

Their blood was flowing beneath you, forming the lake you had just crawled out of. Your sobs grew louder.

 _YOUR FAULT_.

A dark voice screamed at you. Your shoulders trembled as you collapsed onto your stomach, unable to keep looking at the corpses before you. You cried out in fear and distress, your sobs becoming more desperate. "NO!"

 _YOUR FAULT_. 

The voice screamed again. You weeped, clamoring onto your feet and running far away into a dark forest. Away from your friends and packmates.

You weren't sure how long you had been running. You welcomed the burn in your lungs, it distracted you from your hot tears and blood-covered clothing. 

You reached a clearing in the forest and felt a wave of relief, expecting the nightmare to be over. But it wasn't. You froze at the sight before you.

The Shiratorizawa pack. The one's who had been so kind to you in the past few days, mangled and bloodied and piled up just like your previous pack had been. You screamed again, falling to your knees in the wet grass. Terror seized your throat, making your breath catch. 

"WAKE UP!" You screamed to yourself, covering your head with your hands as you sobbed.

And then you woke up.

You shot up in bed, your chest heaving as you struggled to breath. Bile rose in your throat and you instantly ran to the bathroom attached to your new bedroom, throwing up the contents of your stomach. A cold sweat broke out on your body as you collapsed onto the chilled tile floor, too weak to hold yourself up. Your breaths came out in short, panicked gasps. Your chest tightened painfully, making you squeeze your eyes shut. 

A pitiful whine escaped your throat as you curled into the fetal position, trying to calm your pounding heart. Waves of anxiety rippled through your body, causing painful shivers. 

_MY FAULT._ The dark voice echoed once more. You whined again, guilt and terror clawing their way into your chest. You let out breathless pants as you cried helplessly on the floor. You were frozen.

Panic had set in.

You barely felt the tears as they streamed down your sweating face, your eyes screwing shut. You felt trapped in your own body as you curled further into yourself, letting out desperate whines. You knew that if you didn't get help soon, you would drop. You hadn't dropped since you first presented as a child, but from what you could recall, it's an extremely unpleasant and dangerous experience. If someone, especially an Alpha, didn't come soon you would be dropping to the point of no return.

But you found yourself alone, and as the minutes ticked by, your condition grew worse. A haze of distress fell over you, clogging your mind from any coherent thoughts other than desperation, fear and anxiety. At this point, all your mind needed was an Alpha. _Your Alpha._

You called out in anguish, waves of pain crashing over you. Your stomach was cramping and contracting, worsening your nausea. You weren't sure how much time had passed as you continued to let out desperate cries and calls for help. For an Alpha. For _him_.

You unconsciously found yourself craving the comforting scent of bergamot and sandalwood. 

Sweat dripped down your back as you continued to pant miserably. Another sharp whine escaped your throat. Your heart was pounding in your ears.

 _YOUR FAULT_. The voice whispered from the back of your mind. You winced, digging your fingernails into your palm until blood was drawn. Sharp waves of pain hit your stomach, forcing you to cry out louder. You felt like you were sinking into a pit of despair, with no escape in sight.

You barely heard the rushed footsteps stumbling into your room, making their way into the bathroom to find you curled up on the tiles. The stranger dropped to their knees at your side, hurrying to pull you into their lap. You whined from the movement as it jostled your stomach.

You panted heavily in distress, breathing in the scent of the intruder. Instantly, your muscles relaxed. Your system was flooded with the calming smell of spice, bergamot and sandalwood. _Alpha_ _._

You whined softly, curling up into his lap and clutching his shirt. You felt warm, rough hands brush against your sweaty, clothed back gently. A thumb swiped across your forehead, pushing away your sweat-slicked hair. A deep voice rumbled from above you, "(L/N)?"

You didn't respond. You couldn't, really. All you could do was breath in the Alpha's scent and calm your mercilessly beating heart. Your ears buzzed as you struggled to fight the haze of your drop, almost making you miss the conversation going on above you.

You faded in and out of consciousness, the haze of distress lingering. You whined again as the hand suddenly stopped rubbing. You called out for the Alpha to continue, which he immediately did. His hand moved from your back to your hair, gently running his hands through it. You couldn't stop the purr that left your chest at the feeling.

You continued to drift between consciousness and darkness, your body feeling heavy and exhausted. You barely noticed as the Alpha suddenly lifted you up and tucked you into bed. You felt the mattress dip beside you as he sat down. The weight of pillows and blankets surrounded you as the Alpha built you a makeshift next, before crawling in beside you.

The haze eventually dissipated. Your eyes opened blearily as you slowly came back to yourself, the nausea and distress now gone. It was replaced by exhaustion.

You blinked weakly as you looked up, meeting eyes with a concerned Ushijima sitting at your side. "U-Ushijima? What...?" Why was he in your room? You furrowed your brows and dug through your cloudy mind, attempting to find an answer. 

The nightmare. The feeling of panic. The sense of dropping. Your eyes widened in realization. You had dropped without even registering it. You sat up with a gasp, wincing as a dull pain echoed in your stomach; the remnants of a drop.

"W-What..." You could barely form a coherent sentence, your breathing picking up speed. Ushijima instantly placed his large hand on the back of your neck, squeezing gently. He didn't want to let you panic again. You calmed yourself once again, pushing back the tears that wanted to escape.

You looked away from the Alpha, guilt written all over your face. You must have woken him up with your distressed pheromones, and maybe even your noise; you just barely remembered the cries that you had been making. You blushed slightly at the realization; you had been calling for _him_ specifically, as if he were your Alpha. _Which he isn't_! You reminded yourself harshly.

"I'm sorry..." You whispered quietly. You had already caused this man so much trouble, it was a wonder that he was still showing you kindness. You didn't see the way Ushijima's brows furrowed angrily.

"Don't apologize. You needed my help." He replied, his hand moving suddenly from your neck to your cheek. He gave it a gentle stroke, drawing your eyes back to him. You blushed more at the sensation, feeling something stir in your chest. This felt... Intimate. You gulped.

You didn't want to read too much into this man's actions, considering how much of a liking your Omega had already taken to him. You needed to withdraw yourself from those thoughts, you knew they would only lead you to more problems down the road. An Alpha like Ushijima wouldn't want _you_ , you thought.

You simply chose to nod in response, hiding your blushing face from him behind your curtain of hair. However, Ushijima was quick to tuck your hair away behind your ear, pulling your head gently so you looked up at him. His eyes were stern but gentle. "I'm here if you want to talk about it."

Your heart lurched at the thought of your nightmare. You turned to look down at your palms, taking notice of the angry red crescent marks from where your fingernails had been. Your brows furrowed. "My pack, they... They were all d-dead, and it was my f-fault." Tears pooled in the corners of your eyes, dripping down onto the comforter below you as you stuttered your words out. Your voice grew higher in pitch as you struggled to continue, choking up.

A large, warm hand was placed on your back, rubbing gently in reassurance. You sniffled and unconsciously leaned into the touch, your shoulder hitting Ushijima's chest. Your words of explanation turned into quiet sobs. You rubbed your tears away with the back of your arm, breathing deeply to calm yourself down. You didn't have the time to feel embarrassed for being so emotional in front of this stranger, so you let yourself cry and be comforted by him. 

5 minutes later once your cries quieted, you found yourself fully leaning into him with your face buried in his warm chest. The exhaustion of your nightmare and drop crashed into you, squeezing any energy you had left out of your small body. You sagged into the olive haired man's grip, your eyes beginning to droop. You found yourself soothed by his steady heartbeat against your ear.

Your senses were flooded by the gently scent of bergamot and sandalwood, allowing you to relax. 

And that's how you found yourself falling asleep in the arms of a strange, intimidating Alpha, feeling a sense of comfort that you had never experienced before. 


	7. Chapter 7

With grogginess hanging in your veins like lead and weighing down your limbs, you didn't want to wake. But as small whiffs of bergamot and sandalwood tickled your nose, you found yourself rising in interest and confusion. You recognized that smell, something about it made your Omega pleased. Furrowing your brows, you opened your puffy eyes and looked around the bed, only to find yourself sitting alone in a makeshift nest.

 _A nest_?You thought in confusion. You didn't remember building a nest last night, not to mention your heat was still a few weeks away. Why would you be in a nest? You tried to rack your brain as you sat up in bed. The smell of bergamot only grew stronger from the blankets and pillows at your side. You frowned, your confusion growing as you tried to clear the haze in your head.

As you tried to think back to last night, you only had vague memories of you sobbing. Your brows furrowed. You sniffed the pillows again, inhaling the calming scent of bergamot. And then it hit you.

This was Ushijima's scent. In your bed. Next to you.

Your eyes bulged as realization came crashing down on you. The nightmare. The blood. The panic. Your drop. You vaguely remembered someone coming to you when you were dropping. Holding you, comforting you, asking another for help. It was clear to you now that it had been Ushijima. He had carried you to your bed, made you a makeshift nest (it was very obviously made by an alpha based on its disheveled, unkempt nature) and tried (and succeeded) to pull you out of your basal, panicked state.

You remembered now the way you had cried to him, _on_ him. The way his rough hands had been so gentle in handling you, as if you would shatter with anything other than a featherlight touch. You had _fallen asleep on him_! A furious blush rose to your cheeks as you curled up more into the bed, unconsciously scooting closer to the remnants of his warm, woody scent. Embarrassment filled you as you sat curled up in bed, hazily remembering the _noises_ you had made. 

The sounds you made were the ones of an Omega calling out to their Alpha. _Oh God_. You slapped a hand to your face. _You don't have an Alpha, idiot! Don't go crying for someone who isn't yours to begin with!_ You scolded your Omega, ignoring the way it tried to fight against you. For Christ's sake, you had _purred!_

You had only purred a handful of times in your life, and _never_ had it been around an Alpha. Purring, for Omegas, was something that only occurred when they felt completely safe and happy. Not to mention, Omegas usually only purred around an Alpha that was their mate, and no others. It had become glaringly obvious now that your Omega was _choosing_ Ushijima as its own, regardless of how _you_ felt about it. You groaned at the realization. 

How were you supposed to face him after this! You felt like a child, in a way. You had certainly acted like one last night. You sighed, pulling yourself from the warm bed and stumbling into the bathroom. You cringed at the reflection in the mirror; you were a mess. Knotted hair, dark, puffy under-eyes, tear stained cheeks; you looked like shit. You bit your lip and fixed yourself the best you could before getting dressed into a blouse and skirt which Ushijima had left for you in the wardrobe (you didn't even question where it had come from). 

You paused before you could put your hand on the door handle to leave, biting your lip. You knew you'd have to face him eventually, so there was no point in avoiding him. Especially not when you were staying in his own home. From what you could smell beyond the door, breakfast was already being prepared. You sighed and ran your free hand over your face, your palm pressing against your warm, blushing cheeks.

The last thing you wanted to do was face Ushijima after such a humiliating encounter last night, one which you barely remembered. _He must think you're weak_ , you thought to yourself dejectedly. Your Omega whined in protest at the thought. 

You knew you had no choice but to go downstairs and face him. If you didn't go down now, you knew someone, perhaps even Ushijima himself, would come up to ask why you hadn't eaten breakfast. You couldn't just hide away forever (no matter how much you wanted to). 

Heaving another sigh, you ruefully pushed open the door and made your way down the hall to the foot of the stairs. Your ears twitched as you picked up the sound of frying pans and clattering silverware, but no conversation. You bit your lip once more. Were there no guests here? Perhaps the pack only ate dinners together, and no other meals. You winced. _Does that mean it will just be... Me and Ushijima?_

There was only one way to find out.

You straightened your shoulders and chin and made your way down the stairs, turning your head to look for the location of the dining hall. You had inklings of where it was, considering you had only been there once, and so you followed your gut. Thankfully, it wasn't very difficult to find the hall due to the smells alone. 

Unsurprisingly, the table was not lined with dozens of guests like it had been last night. There was one man sitting at the head of the table, and much to your shock, it was _not_ Ushijima. In fact, it was a man you had never met or even seen before on the pack grounds. He was much, _much_ older than anybody you had ever seen around here, most likely in his mid to late 70's. He had a stern face with thick eyebrows and sunken in eyes, looking somewhat irritated as he sat with his arms crossed. 

_He must be a pack Elder_. You assumed, walking further into the room and putting a smile on your face. The man's eyes immediately darted from the empty table to you, his gaze narrowing with something akin to judgement. Your smile faltered slightly when he didn't return your kindness. 

"I wasn't expecting anybody else this early! It's n-nice to meet you, sir. I'm (L/N) (Y/N), I'll be staying with your pack for... Well, for awhile." You tried to be easygoing with the man, but when he did nothing but stare you down, your voice quieted and your smile fell slightly. His eyes were pinning you to the floor where you stood. He was an Alpha, that much was clear, especially from the irritated and disapproving pheromones he gave off.

You couldn't help but wonder what it was about you that this man did not like. Perhaps he wasn't fond of Omegas? There were many Alphas in this world who held this view; the one where they believed Omegas to be lesser. Weaker. Good for nothing but breeding more Alphas. You grit your teeth slightly and tried to push these thoughts away; perhaps you were jumping to conclusions.

"Washijo Tanji. You will call me Elder. **Sit and keep your head down, Omega. Stay quiet.** " The older man grunted in response, the last half of his sentence coming out as more of a Command than a statement. You bristled at the sensation it gave you. Something unpleasant curled in your gut at the order, and before you knew it you found yourself bowing your head and making your way to a seat a few chairs down from him. Your skin prickled with goosebumps as you kept your head down, biting your lip. You had never been Commanded before, and it certainly wasn't a pleasant thing. You felt nausea stir in your gut.

The man grunted once more, seemingly in approval at your behavior. You heard multiple footsteps enter the room, the scent of crepes and eggs hitting your nose instantly. You could see people placing trays on the table out of the corner of your eyes before they scurried away, leaving you alone in the room once more.

You tried to bring your head back up, but you found yourself unable to move. A brief stinging sensation traveled down your spine the more you tried to force it. You were stuck like this, for who knows how long. You didn't even know if Commands had time limits, or if they lasted... You didn't even want to think about how long they could possibly last. You bit your lip, feeling nervous in this Alpha's presence. He clearly held a lot of dislike for you, all of which you assumed was due to your dynamic. It made your gut twist uncomfortably.

"I don't know why Ushijima decided to take you in, this pack has enough Omegas as it is. Perhaps he thought he could make a good breeder out of you. You at least look fit enough to rear strong pups. You have a good smell and build." The man said haughtily, glaring you down from where you sat. You nearly flinched at his harsh words, realizing your assumptions were correct. This man despised Omegas, for whatever reason. Bile rose in your throat as you took in his words.

Would Ushijima share these beliefs? (You hoped not). Did Ushijima really take you in for the reasons he was stating? He was unmated, so perhaps he was looking for a healthy enough Omega to raise his young. Cold sweat perspired on your forehead. 

Just as your nausea began to build, you heard another pair of footsteps enter the room from behind you. They were heavy footed and slow, and when they entered the room you smelt the familiar scent of bergamot and sandalwood. _Ushijima_. You sighed quietly in relief, hoping he would free you from the Command Washijo had put on you. You secretly hope he would fight against the Elder for what he had made you do.

It was a humiliating endeavor for an Omega to be Commanded, especially in these times. Though dynamic equality had made some process, there were plenty like Washijo who took pleasure in ordering Omegas around as they saw fit. You could only hope Ushijima was not like that. And from what you knew so far, you were almost positive that he was nothing like Washijo. 

"Good morning." He spoke in his usual blunt tone, his footsteps approaching you from behind. As much as you wanted to turn around and greet him in return, perhaps even thank him for what he had done for you last night, you couldn't. Your head remained stuck in a bowed position, forcing your hair to curtain around your face. There was a pregnant pause in the air as you didn't respond.

"You're late, Wakatoshi." Washijo spoke roughly, his voice making you flinch just the slightest bit. You hoped Ushijima hadn't seen it. (Your hopes were wrong).

You could feel tension starting to build in the air as Ushijima didn't respond to the Elder. Sweat began to build on the back of your neck as you sensed his eyes on you; you could smell his confusion. Beneath that confusion, something akin to anger was building. He clearly had a sense of what was going on. (Perhaps this wasn't the first time).

"Look at me, (L/N)." Ushijima spoke, though not in a Command. As hard as you tried to push your head back up and turn around, you couldn't. Your body twitched slightly as you tried, but to no avail.

You heard the footsteps get closer, until you felt the warmth of a body against the side of your chair. A large hand suddenly came around your front to wrap around your jaw, gently pulling your head upwards. You gulped, your head allowing the movement to happen due to the other Alpha's help. You gave Ushijima a slightly ashamed look and tried averting your eyes, but he gently tugged you back to look at him once more. He moved your head to the side slightly, as if checking you for injuries. Once he was satisfied he hummed and let you go, before turning back to the Elder.

"You do not have the power to order around my pack Omegas anymore, Washijo. You are no longer the Alpha." Ushijima said gruffly, irritation clear in his voice. You were freely able to move your head now due to the olive haired man's help, but you were still rooted to the chair. Thankful for at least some semblance of freedom, you turned your head to watch the pair talk. You were quick to notice Ushijima's defensive posture; it nearly reminded you of how he had behaved around Tendou when he first met you.

"Omegas are still Omegas, Wakatoshi. As I have told you many times. An Alpha has every right to Command an Omega to behave properly. It is what they are made for." Washijo replied with spite and irritation in his voice. His scent spiked, one which you had not noticed before. It stung your nose, smelling unpleasantly of cayenne pepper and ginger. 

Ushijima's posture became tenser, if that were even possible. His brows furrowed in anger, his own scent thankfully overpowering the unpleasant spice of Washijo's. "When will you ever learn, Washijo? If you will not at least try to change, then at the very least you can leave my Omegas out of it." Ushijima all but growled, his voice dripping with irritation and disappointment. You tried not to think too much about how Ushijima had addressed you as one of _his_ Omegas, clearly in reference to the pack, but it made your heart swell nonetheless.

Washijo instantly snapped back at the advice, his anger building. "There is a hierarchy for a reason, Ushijima. Omegas are born for nothing but to bear Alphan pups, that's it-"

" **Leave**." The Command made you flinch backwards, but it was not directed at you. Your curious, slightly frightened gaze moved on to look at Washijo, who was frozen in his spot with a furious, shocked look on his face.

"What did you just say to me, boy?! I raised you, I taught you everything-!"

" **LEAVE**." Ushijima bellowed at the man, suddenly baring his overly large fangs. Washijo froze once more, gritting his teeth. You watched in shock as his feet suddenly moved forward, removing him from the room (though it looked to be unwilling, based off of his irritated expression). You had never known before now that an Alpha could Command another Alpha. (Perhaps that was a characteristic solely given to Prime Alphas?) Before you knew it, Washijo was gone and Ushijima's shoulders relaxed.

Once the Elder was gone, you felt a pressure suddenly lift off of your body. _The Command's gone_. You instantly stood up to face the olive haired man, who turned to watch you with a sad expression on his chiseled face.

Heat spread on your cheeks once you realized you had stood so abruptly, as if you were going to say something. Your mouth gaped like a fish as Ushijima watched you. "Thank yo-"

"I'm sorry." The Alpha interrupted you, making you jump slightly. Your eyes widened in surprise. _Why is he apologizing_?

"Don't apologize, you... You helped me. He... Well, you know what he did." You ducked your head, shyly scratching at the back of your neck. It was silent for a moment, but you could still feel Ushijima's eyes boring into you. 

He sighed at your answer. "He is a traditional man. He does not take kindly to Omegas. I'm sorry for not giving you a warning about his presence." He said gruffly, looking away with something akin to shame in his gaze. You frowned and stepped forward, shaking your head.

"That's ok, I... I know there are still many who believe things like that. I, um, also wanted to thank you for... Forhelpingmelastnight." You rushed out the end of the sentence in a jumbled mess, your cheeks glowing pink.

Ushijima raised a brow and turned back to you, his sad expression turning into one of amusement. He quirked a brow and said, "What was that?" (He knew what you said, the bastard.)

You gulped and blushed harder, bowing slightly to the man in front of you. "Thank you for helping me last night. I'm s-sorry for putting you through that." You repeated at a much slower pace, allowing him to process your words this time around. Ushijima hummed, stepping forward. His boot-clad feet came into the view of your bowed head.

A warm hand was suddenly placed on the top of your head, ruffling your hair gently. You brought your head up in surprise, looking up at Ushijima as he smiled gently down at you. "Do not apologize, Pup. I would never hesitate to help another pack member." He answered, his chest rumbling slightly as he pat your head once more.

You spluttered. _P-Pup?!?_ The nickname had shocked you. Your blush grew deeper, and you found yourself unable to reply with anything other than a jerky, nervous nod. Your belly stirred with warmth as you took in the nickname, your Omega seemingly pleased. You wondered if this was something he called every Omega in his pack, or if this was just reserved for... _You_. You were unsure where he had come up with it, but for some reason you liked it. (A lot).

"Now let's eat." His hand moved from your head to in between your shoulder blades, gently pushing you back towards the table. You nodded in response. 

Your blush did not go away even once throughout your whole breakfast with Ushijima. 


	8. Chapter 8

Breakfast had gone by rather quickly and quietly. You found yourself blushing like a maiden throughout the whole meal, hiding your flushed skin by bowing your head and allowing your hair to cover you.

All you could think about was the way Ushijima had gripped your jaw and your shoulders, so gentle but yet so strong. Something about it made your belly stir. The way his hand swamped over the expanse of your shoulder and face, drowning you in his warm grip. _The grip of an Alpha_ , you reminded yourself. 

It felt humiliating almost, to get so worked up over such trivial things, but you couldn't help it. Your whole life, you had always reacted rather strongly to the presence of Alphas. And even then, the only Alphas in your village had been much older, and already mated.

So to suddenly be around such an extreme Alphan presence _constantly_ , it was beginning to take a toll. Not to mention the way he seemed to react to _you,_ in turn.

You were almost positive it wasn't all in your head. You had seen the way his pupils dilated, the way his nostrils flared or fingers twitched when you neared. Maybe you weren't being ridiculous after all. You had zero experience with Alphas your age, so perhaps these types of reactions were just natural for those who were unmated. Just simple instincts. (Even then, you couldn't help but let your mind drift off to thinking about those large, warm hands caressing your jaw once more).

Breakfast had ended unceremoniously and quietly, but in a way you were thankful. You were sure you would have embarrassed yourself if he had tried to talk to you more. (Your blush never faded completely, after all).

The two of you separated for the day to attend to your duties. Today, you remembered, you were to meet with Shirabu by the river. He was going to teach you about different herbs and bring you along with him while he did his rounds throughout the lands.

You felt invigorated by the prospect of learning and exploring more of the area. The tension you didn't even realize you had in your body suddenly disappeared as you made your way out of the estate and towards the river.

Along the way you passed Tendou and Goshiki, greeting them with a smile and a wave which they happily returned. You felt more than comfortable traveling in the area alone now, you realized happily.

Your confidence had grown substantially in the last few days. You carefully made your way down the grassy slope towards the mouth of the river, which began at the entrance to the pack council lands. In the distance, you spotted a slender figure leaning against a large oak tree. 

As you approached, the appearance of the stranger became more and more clear to you. He had a slanted honey-blonde bowl cut with light brown, kind looking eyes, and he was watching you with curiosity in his gaze. You noticed his nose twitch as you grew closer, attempting to pick out your scent subconsciously. You did the same in return, immediately noticing the sweet undertones in his smell which screamed 'Omega'. He had a pleasant smell, like pumpkin bread and syrup, and it made you feel comforted. After smelling you, he straightened up and smiled at you. 

"You must be (L/N)." He stated while crossing his arms. You smiled and nodded in return. "Y-yes! Thank you for allowing me to come with you today, Shirabu-san." His gaze grew softer from your shy gratitude. 

"I'm just glad to have someone else _intelligent_ here for once. These meatheads don't know the first thing about medicine, it's infuriating!" The man scrunched up his nose in distate, a scowl taking over his soft features. You were startled for a moment from his complaints, but you heard the lilt of playful mocking in his tone and immediately smiled. He must be fond of them all, you realized with a giggle.

"I'm no doctor, but I have a decent amount of knowledge about herbal medicine to get by. My... Previous pack was very small, after all. I helped our elder doctor with the medicine since I was among the youngest." Your tone grew quieter by the end as your gaze shifted from the blonde to the forest floor, a wave of sadness washing over you.

You sensed a shift in Shirabu's attitude, his scent growing comforting. He placed a small hand on your shoulder and squeezed gently, in reassurance. You were grateful for that, allowing your mind to drift away from thoughts about your old village. You figured everyone close to the pack council knew about your situation by now, and you found comfort in that.

"I see. If you have questions at any point, don't hesitate to stop me. I make daily rounds around the pack grounds to tend to any of the medical needs of our outer pack. We rarely have emergencies, though we do usually have at least a few people with sprains or illnesses which need attending to. If you would like to, you're welcome to come on these rounds with me whenever you would like." Shirabu explained to you as he tugged on your shoulder slightly to get you to walk with him. You eagerly followed and nodded in response, excited to get to see more of the pack lands.

The two of you continued further outside of the council's village towards the edge of the forest, where a small hut and stable lay underneath the shade of a willow tree. It was a quaint healer's hut, but that's exactly why you liked it.

Small, secluded dwellings like this reminded you so much of your old home. Once you went inside, you found that it wasn't too different from the healing tent back in your old village. The familiar scent of herbs and alcohol tingled your nose, allowing your muscles to relax.

Shirabu was quick to duck behind a curtain of beads at the end of the hut, allowing you to observe the lodge in private. Plants and herbs hung bunched together from the ceiling, clearly drying in preparation for use. There were collections of tools you had never seen before lying besides jars of cotton and bandages, mixed in with different arrays of candles and incense. The smell of lavender and yarrow soothed your senses.

Shirabu reemerged from the back, carrying a satchel which he quickly filled with different herbs and bandages. You watched silently as he stuffed the bag with at least 3 of each item, his meticulous movements revealing to you that he was very practiced and knowledgable about what he did. 

"Are there often a lot of ailments in your lands? I know you must have a lot of inhabitants, so I can only imagine how long your rounds are." You spoke up quietly, your curiosity breaking the peaceful silence. Shirabu thankfully didn't seem to mind the interruption. In fact, he welcomed it. He seemed eager to teach you, especially considering you would basically be his assistant from here on out.

"We have a lot of elders in our territory, though they usually don't have too many issues. At least not ones that can be healed with herbal medicine. I provide them with supplies of Cat's Claw and Aloe Vera to soothe their arthritis and inflammation, but there's not much I can do for any mental decline such as dementia. Our elders hardly need a lot of attention. It's more our _youth_ that cause the most problems." Shirabu rolled his eyes in irritation.

"You should see the types of injuries our young hunters come back with. Always getting involved with beasts they shouldn't approach. Bears, hawks, bucks, you name it. There's always injuries that need tending to here. I suppose it's a good thing that our Alphas have such intense fighting spirits, but if it's just between you and me, I think they're all oafs." Shirabu leaned towards you to whisper the last phrase, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

You giggled at his words, holding a hand over your mouth. "And really, a lot of them are. Blockheads, I mean. Allowing their instincts to do all the thinking. You'll get to see most of them today," The honey blonde stuck out his tongue and pretended to gag. You laughed louder at that.

Shirabu handed you the satchel and waved for you to follow as he led you out of the hut and into the stable. Inside, you came face to face with a beautiful brown and white pinto horse. Your eyes widened slightly at the sight of him as Shirabu opened his stable door, leading him out into the open land. You had never seen a horse this up close before. _The last time you saw one was when the bandits came,_ you realized with a sinking heart. 

Pushing the thought away, you stepped forward and hesitantly placed a hand on the creature's snout. You felt dwarfed by the beast, barely even reaching the bottom of its jaw with your head. "Beautiful, isn't he?" Shirabu spoke up as he strapped the saddle onto its massive back.

You gulped and nodded, speechless as you continued to stroke its nose. It huffed slightly in response, leaning its head down to nuzzle the top of your scalp gently. You relaxed at the motion, suddenly feeling more comfortable in its presence. It may be huge, but it was clearly a gentle creature.

Once Shirabu was done preparing the horse for riding, he hopped onto its back and held out a hand for you. You gulped nervously, before taking his hand and stepping into the stirrups. With a lenient tug, you were suddenly settled behind Shirabu with the satchel resting on your back. The view from atop the creature was much different than you were used to, but you found yourself liking it.

"Ready?" Shirabu turned his brown eyes to you, smiling. You smiled back and nodded. He was quick to grab the reigns and nudge the horse gently in the side, urging it forward. You were hardly prepared for the bouncing you felt behind him in the saddle as the horse trotted forward. Shirabu clicked his tongue and nudged the horse again, and suddenly the speed picked up. 

You yelped and leaned forward into the Omega's back, feeling it shake as he laughed at you. "Hold on, (L/N)! We're gonna go a little faster to get to the first village in time." You were quick to listen, wrapping your arms around his lithe torso. Shirabu certainly had not lied about the pace picking up, because with another quick nudge the horse was suddenly hurrying along a beaten path, forcing the wind to whip at your loose hair.

You watched with wide eyes as the council village grew further and further away, making you realize how truly massive the Shiratorizawa pack was. Your old pack was barely even half the size of the council land alone. You faced forward and watched as the open field of a path narrowed further and further, until the trail converged into the wooded forest. 

The trip continued peacefully for another 10 minutes with idle chatter here and there, until the forest suddenly opened up once more into a wide stretch of land. However unlike before, the field before you was not empty and filled with tall grasses.

Lining the edges of the forest and center of the field were English-like homes and buildings, large and small alike. Behind the clusters of homes were plots of land filled with livestock and crops, bustling with farmers and villagers at work. 

You were already impressed, this one singular village had more than you could have ever imagined merely a month ago. And to think this was only one of many villages you would be visiting today. 

Shirabu slowed the horse to a trot as he approached the entrance to the settlement, nodding his head at anyone he passed. Some gave you strange or curious looks, others ignored you. In a way, you felt relieved. As much as you didn't want to admit it, it was a little nerve-wracking to go into unfamiliar territories as an unmated Omega; especially in the company of only another Omega. 

You hated this indisputable fact about yourself— about Omegas. Your gender was simply _weaker._ If a strong Alpha were to come up to you both right now and force him or herself on you, the two of you would be powerless under their Command. You could try and fight it all you want, but Omegas like yourself, _especially_ ones like yourself, were built to be easily incapacitated. 

_You hated it_. You remembered how easily you had given in to Elder Washijo's Commands just this morning with a scowl. It was in an Omega's biology to listen and submit to Alphas. And there were plenty of Alphas in the world who took advantage of that fact, unfortunately. You had heard plenty of tales about Alphas having their way with an Omega through a simple Command alone. 

You suddenly felt even more nervous as you thought back on the hunting Alphas Shirabu had told you about. From what he described, they seemed rambunctious and disorderly. And in an Alpha, such a combination could be potentially dangerous. You could only hope they would have _some_ restraint, or at the very least already be mated. Alphas didn't always react with self-control around you. 

You shrunk in on yourself a little as you got further into the village, warily eyeing the strangers passing by. The scents nearly overwhelmed you as soon as you got off the horse, there had to be at least over two hundred people concentrated in this village alone.

There was an even mix of Alpha, Beta and Omega smells, and none of them smelled particularly threatening. You sniffed a few more times to get used to the overwhelming aromas before following Shirabu as he walked towards the farming areas.

You hurried to catch up to the taller Omega, sticking close to his side out of nervousness. Shirabu smiled gently down at you in return. "Most of our hunters aren't in this village, if that's what you're worried about. We'll be getting to them eventually, though." He reassured you, as if reading your mind. You managed to smile weakly back at him with a nod of your head. 

But, as much as you tried, your worries would not fade.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Two hours had passed by the time Shirabu allowed you to do more than just watch and act as his personal toolbox. He finally allowed to you apply what you had learned so far towards helping others, though you weren't doing anything crazy. Most of the villages you had visited so far hardly required any attention, aside from providing elders with their needed medication. 

However, as Shirabu had reminded you, the next destination was going to be the real deal. It was a village that dedicated itself to hunting, and it was primarily made up of Alphas and their mates. 

As you had learned after traveling through different Shiratorizawa settlements, each village dedicated themselves to a singular trade. The first village you visited was mostly a farming town, the second focused on brewing, the third on weaving and trade items, and so on. The next village had an intense focus on hunting, which over time attracted many Alphas towards living there.

Travel and relocation between villages was encouraged once citizens became of age in Shiratorizawa, which allowed them to choose the occupation they wanted to take on. Because of this, villages focused on hunting almost never attracted anyone aside from Alphas.

As you had learned from Shirabu, these Alphas were usually the most aggressive since they rarely came in contact with unmated Omegas. They knew better than to try anything on Shirabu according to him, which you were thankful for; you planned on sticking _very_ close to his side. 

"Stay close to me," Shirabu warned once more as the two of you got closer to the village. "They're not mindless beats, (L/N), but there have been... Incidents. I just want you to be safe. Sometimes when Alphas go a long period of time without being around an Omega, they react more strongly." He sighed and looked back at you, taking in your nervous, hunched posture.

"I know you've already experienced a few _unsavory_ things with our pack, but I just want to assure you that things don't usually happen like that. I've been made aware of your _special_ condition, but I don't want that to come in the way of your comfort. If anything happens, especially here, please let me know." He spoke soothingly as he slowed the horse to a stop and hopped off. You nodded and took his outstretched hand, following him off of the horse. 

You clutched the satchel apprehensively at your side as Shirabu waved for you to follow him into town. You were basically glued to his side as you walked in, your eyes flitting nervously around the wooden buildings with unease. 

A wave of mixed Alphan scents hit you like a slap to the face the second you stepped into the territory, making you stiffen. Shirabu had a less intense reaction to the smell, clearly out of experience rather than lack of sensitivity. 

You cringed as dozens of different Alpha smells invaded your nostrils, overriding your senses. Your instinctual reaction forced you to bend your head and bare your neck in submission, even though not a soul was around to greet you so far. The scent alone made your knees wobble with anxiety. You wanted nothing more than to let the ground swallow you up as you shakily followed Shirabu further inside. 

Said Omega turned to look at you with compassion, reaching out to rub your shoulder gently. "I reacted the same way when I first came here. Don't let it overpower you. Here, this should help if you hold it over your nose." Shirabu removed his hand and shuffled around in his coat until he pulled out a white rag and handed it to you. You looked at it for a moment in confusion as you took it from him, before moving your gaze back to him.

"Hold it over your nose. The lavender will make their scents less potent." He smiled. Your eyes instantly brightened as you held the rag up to your nose and breathed in, your tense muscles suddenly relaxing as the smell of the flower muted the Alphan aromas. 

Satisfied with your now slackened posture, Shirabu moved his attention back to the wooded area behind the town and tapped his foot. "They should be back any moment now." 

Even without context, you understood what he meant. The hunters must be on their way back with their game, especially since it's already a few hours past midday. 

The momentary silence in the village was peaceful. You could hear bustling within the homes surrounding you, and you could smell a few Alphas around, but you safely assumed they were not attendants of the hunt today. 

The silence was broken by the sound of distant shouts and whoops quickly approaching where you and Shirabu stood. You tensed and pressed the rag closer to your nose unconsciously. You steeled your nerves in preparation for encountering dozens of Alphas at once, but you knew even that wouldn't be enough. It was _never_ enough. With your status came weakness, and as much as you despised that fact, it was inevitable. 

Nevertheless, you prepared yourself for perhaps one of the most vulnerable experiences of your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm dumb and for some reason included the mention of a phone in one of the last chapters? I write these pretty late at night usually so I must have skipped over that when I was editing, I'm gonna cut that out. 
> 
> They do not have phones in this series lol. There's electricity but no phones or computers or appliances.  
> My bad y'all it must have slipped my mind


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader's not gonna catch a break in this chapter cause uhhhh ✋🏻😳 it makes things spicy  
> But our Ushi will help her from her troubles later don't you worry
> 
> Sorry I put Reader through so much trauma but IMO it makes things more fun 😣
> 
> LONG CHAPTER YAY

Perhaps things wouldn't have gone so awry if you had just prepared yourself. But, unfortunately, things didn't seem to work out in your favor during your time here.

It had all happened rather suddenly once you and Shirabu realized the whooping and shouting of the approaching Alphas was not out of joy, but out of panic and calls for help. The two of you had instantly bolted forwards to converge with the group, but you were both met with an unsavory sight. 

Two Alphas ran forwards out of the forest, carrying another unconscious Alpha between their arms. As they ran forwards towards you and Shirabu, you could see clearly that the man's shirt was torn and drenched with blood. Your eyes widened drastically at the sight as nausea bubbled up in your throat; you hadn't seen that much blood since... Since... The thought made your stomach curl.

"Help, Shirabu! A b-bear, a bear got him! In the chest! He's bleeding real bad!" One of the Alphas yelled as he bent down to lower the injured man gently to the ground. His hands trembled as he lay his friend to the dirt, looking down at him with a desperate expression. 

Shirabu was quick to get to work, no questions asked. You jumped as he dropped to his knees beside the injured man, rifling through his satchel and pulling out ingredient after ingredient. He was quick to rip the bleeding Alpha's shirt off of his chest, revealing a ghastly cut marring the center of his abdomen. You were in awe of Shirabu's practiced movements, your admiration allowing your brain to ignore the horror of witnessing this man's injury up close.

You barely even noticed the crowd of Alphas surrounding all of you, your shock making you oblivious to your surroundings. (You're sure if you had been aware, you would have had a full on panic attack at the feeling of being crowded unintentionally by dozens of huge Alphas). You kneeled down next to Shirabu and watched helplessly as he began to grind ingredients together with a mortar and pestle. 

He began rifling through his bag once again, searching for a particular herb to add to the mix. His searching grew more frenzied as the seconds passed. A sharp curse slipped from Shirabu's downturned lips as his search grew futile. He hurriedly looked up at you and set the bag down before grabbing your hand and squeezing.

"I need Yarrow to stop the bleeding, but I've already used up a majority of today's stores. I have enough to keep his wounds at bay for now, but I will need more to keep the cut dressed. I know that there's a patch of it a little ways into the forest. Could you hurry to get some for me?" Shirabu spilled out quickly, his grip growing tighter with urgency. Your eyes widened and you hastily nodded. The Omega sighed in relief. 

"If you go straight into the woods from here it should be only a few paces to the east, past a large boulder. You'll know it when you see it." He explained as you stood up. You nodded and turned towards, the forest, still barely aware of the Alphas around you.

Unbeknownst to you, a pair of narrowed brown eyes followed your form as you ran away, using the distraction amongst the group to slip out and pursue you. 

You broke out into a sprint as you went towards the woods, running past the trees without an ounce of hesitation in your steps.

 _To the east, just a few paces..._ You reminded yourself, slowing down your run. _Should be a boulder close by_... You gazed around towards the east, instantly zeroing in on the large rock marking the land ahead. You hurried towards it and dropped into a crouch, looking down amongst the grass in search of the small Yarrow flower. 

When your eyes caught onto a small patch of yellow and white flowers, your focused expression instantly brightened. You dropped to your knees on the mossy ground as you began to hastily pick the flowers, making sure to get them from the very roots. You could only hope that you would make it back in time to help that injured hunter. 

In your haste of picking the flowers with little regard to the world around you, and amongst the panic and worry that clouded your brain, you failed to notice or even smell the Alpha that was slowly approaching you from behind. 

Once you had gathered a sufficient amount of the floral herb, you stood and turned around to head back to Shirabu. The second you turned and brought your foot forward, your vision was cut off by a large chest taking its place in front of you. You blinked and jumped in surprise, raising your gaze to meet that of the person who was blocking your path.

"W-What do you need? Do you need h-help too?" You asked hesitantly as you finally met the strange man's gaze, taking in his appearance. He had piercing honey brown eyes and a mop of straw blonde hair on his head, and his frame was large but lean. Height wise, he wasn't nearly as big as the others you had met so far, but he was still much larger than yourself.

The second you spoke, the man's eyes narrowed with a dark, recognizably dangerous intent. Something sour and uncomfortable built up under your skin as you unconsciously shrunk away from the man. 

Noticing your sudden uncertainty, the large man smirked down at you and stepped closer. A breeze brushed past him and puffed across your face, fanning his scent into your nostrils. Instantly they flared with recognition, striking your brain into red alert.

This man was an Alpha, as expected from this village. But something about his scent was heady and threatening; it made your stomach coil with unease.

Every nerve in your body was alight with awareness, your instincts telling you not to trust this Alpha. You bit your lip uneasily and took a step backwards.

 _Mistake_.

Your nervous actions only seemed to fuel the amusement of the blonde Alpha before you. His smirk grew as he stepped forward, attempting to get closer to you again.

"I haven't seen you around here before, doll. It's rare to see a pretty little Omega like you around these parts, ya know." He tilted his head down at you and took another menacing step forward.

Your eyes widened and your stomach twisted and lurched with more unease. You gulped and stepped back from the male again, but this only made his eyes light up with a predatory fire you had never witnessed before. Your heart started picking up its pace, beating rapidly against your ribcage in fear.

The next step back you took was your last.

 _Another mistake_.

Dread curdled in your veins as you felt your back hit a cold, hard surface, effectively trapping you between it and the Alpha. You were stuck against the boulder you had seen earlier, you realized as you pressed back into it as far as you could go, your body trembling with panic.

The Alpha seemed to enjoy your fear, his eyes darkening as he licked his lips. You spotted a silver material glinting against the flesh of his tongue and gulped, unsure what it was. You had heard of people putting metal rods through their ears and noses as a form of accessorizing, but never through a _tongue_. You shivered at the thought of getting such a piercing.

His next steps were in quick succession of each other, to the point that his chest was brushing against yours within the span of a second. The sudden proximity forced the heavy Alphan scent of pine and tobacco into your nose, causing it to wrinkle in distaste. You gulped audibly and pushed back further into the hard rock, but to no avail; you were trapped. 

It was then that you picked up on subtle hints in his odor which rung alarm bells in your mind. A hidden musk tickled your nose, alerting you to this man's condition.

He was close to his rut. _Dangerously close;_ to the point where it could kick in in the matter of a few hours.

You shrunk in on yourself out of instant trepidation and fear. Being near an Alpha in rut as an unmated Omega could spell certain doom for you, especially if they were already particularly aggressive. And from your situation so far, it was obvious that this man was as aggressive as they come.

The man was clearly already succumbing to his instincts. The way his eyes were nearly pitch black, his overly musky scent, his clear intention to try and make you submit to him; it all added up now (though it didn't make it any less terrifying).

His scent continued to invade your nose, poking and prodding at your instincts and demanding you to submit. You winced away and tried to turn your head, but there was barely any room to turn. Your gut twisted with nausea and your heart rate picked up, growing increasingly more uncomfortable with the proximity. 

You knew he was pushing out his scent on purpose just from the way he tilted his jaw and leered down at you; he was trying to force you into submission.

He pressed himself closer to you until your spine dug painfully into the cold stone. The man huffed across your face, watching the way you tried to twist away from him and avoid yielding to his presence.

"Hmmm?" The Alpha hummed, reaching up a large hand to roughly cup your jaw. You winced as his calloused fingers dug into your skin, forcing your lips to pucker. You were powerless to his strong grip as he tilted your head to the side, making you expose your scent glands to his hungry gaze. 

You felt the man chuckle as it vibrated against you. "I haven't smelled an unmated Omega in years, but you... God, I don't remember them ever smelling this _good_." 

Out of the corner of your eye, you helplessly watched as he brought his free hand up to rest on your collarbone.

He waited for a moment, taking in your frightened expression, before he deftly moved his fingers until they rested over your uncomfortably pulsing scent glands. 

With narrowed, glazed over eyes, he suddenly pressed his index finger into one of the glands with bruising force. 

A startled yelp left your lips at the harsh sensation, your body jolting with displeasure. Your Omega was screaming for you to run, to hide, to do _anything_ to escape this dangerous Alpha, but there was nowhere for you to possibly go where he wouldn't find you. Not to mention you probably wouldn't even be able to get out of his grip in the first place.

Instantly, your scent permeated in the air with thick hints of vanilla, but distress soured the scent slightly.

Nonetheless, the Alpha seemed to enjoy the smell you gave off as he put pressure on your glands. He groaned softly and leaned his face in, pressing his nose close to your clavicle.

You could suddenly feel a vibration against your chest, coming from the Alpha. A deep, husky growl sounded from his throat and rumbled against your neck, making you stiffen in fear. His growling didn't stop as he removed his finger and replaced it with his nose, rubbing into your glands harshly.

He was scenting you.

His grip on your jaw lessened until his hand moved entirely, coming to rest on the base of your throat in a threatening manner; almost as if he were silently telling you not to move, _or else_.

You couldn't help it as a sharp whine tore through your throat, high pitched and fearful. But the Alpha didn't care. When they were this close to rut, nothing could stop an Alpha who had its eyes on an Omega.

He continued to nuzzle into the base of your throat, covering you with his heady scent.

Your heart pounded with alarm and you thrashed harshly in his grip, whining again before shouting, "HELP!"

This time, the Alpha was not so forgiving of your whines for help.

He snarled loudly with bared teeth and suddenly had his hand against the back of your neck, grappling harshly against your nape.

It was then that you realized, with horror, that he was going to _scruff you_. His fingers dug into your skin, searching for the points in your neck that would subdue your thrashing.

You flailed again in an attempt to hinder his search, but you were too late. His fingers had found the two pressure points which rested at the base of your nape, a pitiful part of your (and any Omega's) anatomy, and pressed into them.

Instantly, your flailing was forced to stop. Your entire body relaxed into his grip, all tension and fighting leaving your limbs. He had scruffed you.

It was something you despised about being an Omega. Your own anatomy allowed Alphas to take advantage of you, for situations exactly like this. The pressure points at the back of an Omega's neck had developed over time to prevent them from getting hurt if their Alpha went into rut.

It stopped them from thrashing, as you had, which could possibly lead to an Alpha hurting an Omega to keep them still. (Alphas in rut were ruthless, after all. A broken bone or two on an Omega that wasn't their mate wouldn't stop them.)

Essentially, your biology allowed you to be taken advantage of and there was nothing you could do about it.

Distressed tears leaked from your eyes and dripped down your cheeks as you rested helplessly in the Alpha's grip, allowing his body to support your deadweight. You could only hope someone had heard your cries for help before it was too late and his rut fully kicked in. Nervous sweat dribbled down your forehead and back, making your thin shirt cling to your now damp skin.

You knew from what Shirabu told you that these hunter Alphas were deprived of Omegan presences in their village, but you never in a million years expected that information to lead to _this_. 

For a brief moment, you found your thoughts drifting back to a certain olive haired Alpha who had cared for you so well in the time that you had known him. You were unsure why, but you found yourself calming slightly at the thought of Ushijima.

Your soothing thoughts were ripped away from you as you felt a hot breath wash over your neck in short puffs. The blonde's scent had grown even headier if possible, stinging your nose harshly.

You felt a pair of sharp canines suddenly graze upon the column of your throat in a taunting manner. 

Another soft, distressed whine tore from your mouth. You found an inkling of strength in your weakened body to turn your head to the side, screwing your eyes shut. You were unsure of what the Alpha was planning to do next, but you could only hope he didn't want to mark you with those teeth. 

Your heart was pounding in your ears, overtaking all of your senses. You found some semblance of tranquility in the sound of your own heart pumping in your ears, drowning out any of the sounds around you. You screwed your eyes shut tighter.

And then, as quickly as it had started, the weight that was pressing you into the boulder was gone.

The hand holding your nape had disappeared, and you felt waves of strength suddenly flood back into your body.

Your eyes snapped open and you stumbled forward, both from shock and from trying to regain control after being scruffed. You regained your balance and turned forwards, hearing commotion from in front of you as the sound of your heartbeat lessened.

You gasped as you took in the sight of a thrashing blonde Alpha being pinned to the ground by another Alpha who was growling fiercely at him. A hand suddenly came to rest on your shoulder, making you jump in surprise.

You turned back to look at the newcomer, and found yourself instantly relaxing as you met the gaze of an ashamed looking Shirabu. You were even more surprised as the taller Omega suddenly pulled you into his chest, wrapping his arms around you in a gentle hug.

You stiffened for a moment, until you completely relaxed in his grip. He released waves of calming pheromones, rubbing your back soothingly as you leaned into him. 

The weight of the situation you had been in came crashing down on you at full force, making your shoulders sag.

Your shoulders hitched with light sobs as you buried your nose into the Omega's collarbone, seeking comfort from him which he was glad to provide. He was patient as he rubbed your back in soft circles, allowing you to let it all out until your cries slowed to a stop.

You heard snarls and scuffling from behind you to and attempted to turn and look, but a gentle hand on the back of your head stopped you and pulled you back into Shirabu's embrace. The growling grew more distant, which you could only assume was because the Alpha was being taken away somewhere.

"I'm sorry, (Y/N). I should have known better than to send you out there alone." Shirabu whispered to you with a guilty tone to his voice. 

You frowned and shook your head against his chest. "Don't blame yourself, there was no way of knowing. I'm just glad you got here in time." You gulped and pulled away from his embrace, feeling much calmer than you had a minute ago. Shirabu smiled down at you and nodded in agreement. 

"Is that man okay? I... I wasn't able to bring you the Yarrow," you whispered with a frown. Shirabu patted your shoulder and nodded, allowing you to let out a sigh of relief. You wondered briefly if you were still going to go to the rest of the villages Shirabu had planned to visit today, biting your lip nervously.

All you wanted was to take a shower and curl up in your nest to try and wash away the Alpha's scent, but you weren't about to hinder Shirabu's duty just because you were needy.

Shirabu, as if reading your mind, gestured for you to follow him back into the village. Once you got there, you were thankful to find that the town center had cleared out completely (most likely at the request of Shirabu).

"I'm going to get you home, okay?" He spoke gently to you as he led you back to the horse, hopping on its back and pulling you up to sit in front of him. 

Your eyes widened slightly and you opened your mouth to protest, but Shirabu instantly cut you off with a shake of his head. "No protests. Don't worry about going to the rest of the villages, I'll return once I get you home safe." He replied.

You sagged with relief against his chest at the statement, lazily resting your head in the crevice of his shoulder. He huffed a laugh at your behavior, allowing you to rest your weight on him as he urged the horse into a quick gallop. 

Before you even knew it, you had drifted off into an empty, dreamless sleep as you rested against the Omega's chest. 

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Shirabu was careful not to wake you as he slipped his arms around your knees and shoulders, before slowly climbing off of the horse and shutting its stable door. He held you close to his chest in a protective manner, looking down at your peaceful face with a frown.

Guilt tugged at his chest as he carried you back towards Ushijima's estate. He could still smell the Alpha's, rather Terushima's, musky scent all over you and it disgusted him. He had promised to take care of you and keep you safe, yet here he was bringing you back after being assaulted by an Alpha close to rut.

He was ashamed of himself for allowing you to go out alone in an all-Alphan village to pick herbs; he should have had the foresight to send someone trustworthy with you. He sighed and took in the dried tear tracks marring your face, as well as the growing dark purple bruise that circled your scent glands.

Shirabu was appalled. He had thankfully never been around a near-rut Alpha before, as most were usually more responsible about keeping themselves locked away, but the sight of you like this horrified him. 

He knew if he had even been a few minutes too late, something even worse could have happened to you. 

Nothing can compare to the horror Shirabu felt when he heard you screaming for help in the forest.

What was an even worse experience was seeing you trapped against that boulder, clearly scruffed against your will, whimpering in fear as Terushima nibbled at your throat. He was nauseated by the sight alone, lord knows how you must have felt in that moment.

Shirabu was a little surprised to see that it was Terushima who was causing you so much grief. He had met the usually energetic Alpha on many occasions before. He was loud, rambunctious and often over the top, but never _aggressive_. In fact, Shirabu had known the man to be rather kind when it came down to it.

But seeing him acting like _that_ with you was truly a testament to how downright violent an Alpha in rut can be; they can completely lose themselves. He had to be forcibly removed from you by three Alphas Shirabu had brought with him for help.

He sighed, ignoring the guilty twisting in his gut as he approached the entrance to the estate. He thankfully hadn't run into anyone, since he especially didn't want people overwhelming him with questions right now. But Shirabu knew what was coming instead. 

Ushijima.

No doubt the Alpha would be furious at the sight of you like this, and god forbid _the smell._ You reeked of stale distress and an Alpha in rut. Shirabu was not looking forward to being the one to bring you back to the olive haired Alpha in this state.

It was no secret amongst the Pack Council that Ushijima was interested in you. The two of you had _special_ circumstances regarding your second genders after all, but even regardless of that, the olive haired man was protective over you. The fact that he had sent Elder Washijo away after insulting and Commanding you was testament enough to how defensive he was.

Shirabu bit his lip and pushed open the door to the Estate, walking in without announcing himself. There was no need to anyways, since it had been an established rule in the Shiratorizawa pack that anyone in the Council was allowed into Ushijima's home at any time if they needed to speak to him (aside from when he was asleep, of course). 

His footsteps echoed as he made his way down the grand hall, headed towards Ushijima's office. In his arms he suddenly felt you shift and stir, squeezing your eyes before opening them blearily and looking around.

Shirabu smiled down at you fondly, but there was a hint of nervous strain in his grin. You blinked your sleep away and smiled back, before looking around at your surroundings. From the smell alone, you could tell you were back at Ushijima's estate.

Warm tingles shot down your spine as you relaxed into the Omega healer's arms. A sense of safety washed over you upon realizing where you were.

Shirabu suddenly stopped in front of a familiar set of large doors which led to Ushijima's office.

"You can let me down," You said with a raspy voice, looking back up at Shirabu. He gently set you down on your feet, watching as you teetered to the side and nearly lost your balance.

Instantly, the honey blonde had his arm around your shoulder for support. You thanked him gently.

Then, as if sensing your presence (rather, smelling), a deep baritone voice echoed from the other side of the door, "Come in."

A nervous zing of electricity shot down your spine as Shirabu pushed open the door, guiding you inside. The two of you moved to stand in front of the massive oak desk, watching as Ushijima put down his feather pen to give you both his full attention. His eyes fell on Shirabu, thankfully not moving to you yet.

"You're back early today. Has something happened?" His deep voice reverberated in the large room, making you jump. Shirabu flinched at the question.

"I, well... Yes, something happened." He tightened his grip on your shoulders, drawing the Alpha's deep olive gaze to you. His eyes took in the way Shirabu was supporting your weight, and instantly narrowed in suspicion.

You felt his intense gaze drift over your entire figure in a searching manner, before they fell upon the space between your shoulder and neck. His gaze widened just the slightest, before narrowing and reflecting an emotion you couldn't decipher. His gaze had darkened considerably as he stared at your scent glands.

 _They must be bruised,_ you realized as you remembered the way that blonde had pressed down into them with ridiculous force. You gulped as Ushijima continued to scrutinize you.

And then his nostrils flared. You heard a faint intake of breath, and then a stutter in his exhale. Ushijima's brows furrowed and his face scrunched, and this time you recognized the emotion. _Anger_.

His nostrils flared again as he stood from his chair, making his way around the desk towards your hunched form. Your eyes widened in shock and you leaped back in surprise, taking Shirabu with you in the process. Ushijima instantly stopped his approach, standing a good distance away still. The blonde Omega beside you looked just as nervous as you, also picking up on his pack leader's anger. You gulped.

"What is the meaning of this." His tone was biting as he turned to the blonde beside you. Shirabu winced and bowed his head to look down at his feet with shame. 

"It's my fault, sir. I made a poor judgement call and had her retrieve herbs for me without help-" The blonde was interrupted.

"What _happened._ " Ushijima's tone was less patient this time as he took a step forward.

It was clear to you that his anger was not directed at Shirabu, but it still made you nervous nonetheless. Ushijima was terrifying when he was angry, no matter the reason.

"An Alpha in rut found her, sir." Shirabu finished quietly. That was all that needed to be said to explain the bruise on your throat, the dried tears on your face, and the putrid smell you were giving off. 

Silence hung in the air for what felt like forever. Ushijima's shoulders instantly straightened and tensed, his face turning into a stoney mask of reigned in fury.

"You may leave us. Thank you." He spoke to Shirabu with a less cold tone, dismissing him. 

Shirabu nodded, slowly removing his arm from your shoulder until you regained your balance on your own. He gave you one last nervous smile before slipping from the room, leaving you alone in the tension filled air.

Ushijima's heavy gaze fell to you once more. He took a slow step forward and watched you carefully, looking for any apprehension in your body language. When you did nothing to retreat from him, he took another step forward until he was merely a foot away from you.

Your nerves were singing throughout your body with anxiety, though it wasn't particularly a bad sense of anxiety. You felt safe in this Alpha's presence, a far cry from what you had experienced earlier today. 

You looked up to meet Ushijima's olive gaze, which was dark as he roamed his eyes all over your bruised neck once more. His nose flared again, breathing in your muddled scent, before his lip twitched downwards with just the slightest expression of distaste. His gaze met yours.

"Are you alright?" His deep voice sent shivers down your spine. Unable to formulate words in your anxious, flustered state, you settled for just a nod.

"Did he..." Ushijima paused, seemingly hesitant about continuing his question. You didn't miss the flare of his nostrils again. After a beat of silence, he carried on, "Did he scent you?" 

You gulped, remembering the way the Alpha had forcibly smothered you in his odor. You averted your gaze in shame, hating how weak you had been just hours earlier. Nonetheless, you nodded in response. Silence followed.

A sudden growl broke through the stillness in the room, making your eyes widen. Your gaze shot back to Ushijima, who had his lip curled back angrily as he growled, though not at you. The tone of this growl screamed 'protective' to you, and you weren't exactly sure how you even knew that. Something about it made you relax and tilt your head to the side just in the slightest, showing your neck to Ushijima. 

You weren't even sure why you did it, really. It just felt _right_. And based off of the content look that crossed over Ushijima's face, you knew it was the right choice to make. His growls lowered into something more rumbly, resembling the purr of an Omega. 

No words were spoken between the two of you as Ushijima suddenly took another step forwards, and then another, and another, until your back was against the bookshelf on the wall. But, unlike earlier today, you didn't feel afraid of the Alpha in front of you. In fact, you rather liked being trapped between a wall and his warm body as it pressed gently against you. You trusted him.

You were unsure what exactly his goal was with pushing you up against the wall, but you certainly didn't mind. Something about the rumbling vibrations coming from his broad chest as it pressed into you was therapeutic. You relaxed against him, keeping your neck slightly bared. 

A warm, calloused hand suddenly raised to brush your hair away from your neck, exposing your bruised scent glands. Ushijima frowned at the sight, before moving to look at the other side of your neck. At least on that side, your glands weren't bruised. He was quick to push your hair away from that area as well. 

You jumped as one of his thumbs brushed against the unbruised glands, drawing spurts of your scent out. The feeling was a far cry compared to the sensation you had from earlier. Rather than disgust or distress, Ushijima's touch made butterflies erupt in your gut.

You gulped audibly and allowed Ushijima to brush against your glands with a feather light touch, staring down at them with intense focus. His gaze suddenly moved back to you, full of seriousness and sincerity.

"Tell me if you would like me to stop." His intensely deep voice made shivers zip up and down your spine, causing a blush to light up your cheeks. You were thankful that the room was at least a little dimmed, allowing you to blush without fully being seen.

You only managed a jerky nod before Ushijima had leaned down, breaking eye contact as his face came close to your clavicle. You tensed with a sensation akin to anticipation as you felt his breath brush against your exposed skin. 

And then, a large nose was brushing against your unharmed glands.

You had no control over the small yip that left your throat as you pressed forwards into Ushijima's chest, feeling tingles erupt across your skin. Ushijima breathed out against your skin in what you assumed to be a laugh.

You felt him nose your glands a little harder, drawing out more of your scent which was beginning to mix with his own. He didn't use nearly the same amount of force that the blonde Alpha had, which you were thankful for. 

It took you a moment for you to realize he was scenting you.

Ushijima Wakatoshi was scenting you to _wash away the smell of another Alpha_. Your eyes widened. _Oh_. 

There was a massive difference between platonic scenting and _territorial_ scenting. Platonic scenting was, well, platonic; it occurred most often to prevent becoming touch-starved.

Scenting for territorial reasons, especially _upon another human_ had an entirely different purpose. It was meant to ward others away.

If you were being scented territorially, it was a way of saying 'this is mine, don't touch.' It was possessive in nature. (Naturally, it was something that often occurred between mates and even court mates.)

Your mouth gaped slightly as you were about to ask a question, when suddenly something wet and hot ran across your glands.

You jumped in surprise, accidentally bucking your hips against Ushijima's. The man growled in response and moved in to give your glands another lick, eliciting a gasp from your lips. Sparks of pleasure tingled in your gut at the feeling.

Licking glands was one of the most effective (and most _non-platonic_ ) ways to scent someone. Not to mention, _it felt good_.

You gulped as your face turned bright red, your breathing picking up into short spurts. You bit your lip to hold back a mewl as Ushijima pressed his broad chest closer to you, giving you one final lick. 

He pulled away from you, and you instantly noticed his darkened, almost hungry gaze. You gaped at him with flushed cheeks and misty eyes, feeling the heat of the room suddenly hit you full swing. 

Ushijima began massaging his wrists against each other, where more glands were located, before pressing both wrists gently to your hair and rubbing them through it. At this point, you were drowning in the smell of bergamot and sandalwood.

Your knees trembled slightly, forcing you to lean back fully into the bookcase. Ushijima finally rubbed his wrists gently against both sides of your neck before pulling away completely, a satisfied twinkle in his eyes.

Your chest heaved as you caught your breath, bringing yourself out of the daze that you had been in. It had been a long time since you had been scented, and essentially never since you had been scented like _that_. You had no idea how good it could feel. 

"Allow me to scent you before you go out with Shirabu from here on out. It will ensure your safety. Is that ok?" Ushijima's voice was gravely and low, more so than usual. The husk of it made goosebumps rise on your skin. Your eyes widened as you took in the meaning of his statement.

"Y-Yes." You answered breathily, looking up at the Alpha in astonishment. You barely heard the low rumble of satisfaction in his chest before he nodded, his lips curling up just the slightest. 

"Good Pup." He answered, gazing down at you intensely.

That night, you dreamed of olive eyes and the scent of bergamot and sandalwood.


End file.
